Ex-US envoy advises Nigerian parties on ideology

Posted by admin Party Politics Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

A former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. John Campbell, has said that the fundamental problem facing Nigerian political parties is lack of ideology.

Campbell, a senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, said this at a lecture entitled, ‘Political realities and the mechanics of voting in Nigeria,’ in London.

The event was organised by a London-based think-tank, Chatham House, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

“The fundamental problems of political parties in Nigeria, in my perspective, is that the parties have no ideological platform or decision,” he said.

Campbell said these were essential instruments by which politicians seek power.

“If I were asked to advise, it will be for Nigerian political parties to take practical positions on issues which actually concern the Nigerian people.

“This has been a difficult issue, something which concerns every Nigerian,” he added.

He said there was evidence of growing democratic process in Nigeria, adding that the Civil Societies Organisations, the academia and media were becoming very active in the system.

Campbell said he had high hopes that the 2011 elections would be “dramatically, significantly better than those of 2003 and 2007.”wp_posts