By Lengnan Tobias
Former Nigerian Ambassador to Chad, Abdullah Omaki, says most political parties in Nigeria lack functional and distinct ideologies to guide governance.
Omaki said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to him, political parties should serve as “schools of public leadership” by using their manifestos to shape government policies and programmes.
He said elected officials were expected to implement their party’s manifesto and deliver democratic dividends to citizens.
The former envoy added that the performance of elected officials was often attributed to their political parties because they were expected to operate within party frameworks.
“Based on those achievements, people can assess the party and judge its performance in the next election,” he said.
Omaki, who is also founder of the Abdullahi Omaki Community Peace Initiative Network, lamented that political rallies in the country rarely focused on policy issues.
“Instead, supporters just sing the praises of individuals for what they did and didn’t do.
“For me, we have a very long way to go. If we continue like this, smaller countries in the subregion will soon stabilise and overtake us in governance and coordination,” he said.
He contrasted the current political system with that of the Second Republic, which, according to him, had stronger party leadership capable of compelling elected officials to adhere to party decisions.
“Back then, as president or governor, you were subjected to the party’s dictates.
“Today, governors are called leaders of their state parties, and the president is called the party leader at the federal level. That is cumbersome. There is no separation of power,” he said.
Omaki said that introducing a clearer separation of powers was necessary to restore discipline and balance to Nigeria’s political system. (NAN)
Edited by Sadiya Hamza
