One of the key features that characterize the democratic system of government is its partisan configuration. In this system, there is a separation of individuals, who share common interests and goals (short and long term alike) into groups. These groups are commonly referred to as political parties. In Nigeria, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), there are 18 bonafide (registered) political parties although some other sources account for as high as 91 parties in existence. Of the existing parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), all stand out as the major pillars in the Nigerian political clime.
A lot of argument has gone on in the past as regards the efficacy of partisan politics in Nigeria. Those who support the existence of this methodology base a large chunk of their argument on the fact that the existence of other parties encourages healthy competition within the political space. To them, they strongly believe that there would be absolutely no room for comfort for parties who are in power as they would be constantly bombarded by several waves of pressure, mounted by the opposition parties.
For those who are not in favour of this system, their major argument stems from the definition of who a partisan is. A partisan is simply an ardent member and supporter of a political party. Typically, in multi-party systems of government, such as Nigeria’s, they are commonly viewed as persons, whose strong support for their political affiliation, makes them very unwilling to compromise with their political opponents. This statement, although on the face of it, really doesn’t mean anything much asides a depiction of sheer loyalty, has a lot of implications embedded in it. Apart from the issue of loyalty, which will ensure that members stay committed and true to the cause of their political party, the partisan configuration could pose a lot of demerits. One of the standout issues is a derailing of the goals set by the parties across board, with the most common being, to ensure that their parties either get into or remain in power, no matter what it takes. Sadly, this ideology is what has creeped in into virtually all existing political parties in Nigeria thus, accounting for relegation of national interests and the promotion of the interest of a select individuals. This has further precipitated the prevalence of electoral malpractices and ultimately, the continual dampening in the quality of leaders at the helm of affairs. Judging by hindsight, it is generally safe to say that in Nigeria, the practice of partisan politics, has raised more concerns than it has faith in it.
In alignment with this, the University of Ibadan, is characterized to have a political system that is markedly non-partisan in nature. This simply means that during the electioneering period, the names of the candidates and their aspiring positions are primarily projected, with no political parties in the picture. What is however very interesting is that in some way, the issue of their halls of residence as well as their faculties and department, comes up. This now begs the question as to why these two issues find a way to come up when an aspirant’s candidacy is being assessed. Are these issues really important? Going by the antecedents of the electoral processes carried out within the university in recent years, it’s safe to say that these two factors indeed play a very huge role, with the former (halls of residence) weighing more than the latter (faculties and department).
As earlier stated, a partisan is an ardent member of a political party but when taking a non-cursory look at the term political party, certain facts tend to come to light. A political party amongst other things could be defined as a group of persons organized to acquire and exercise political power. This definition therefore entails that any group of individuals could be termed a political party so far they are structured to acquire and exercise political power; these groups of individuals could both incorporate halls of residence and departments or faculties. This then raises the question, is the UI political system really non-partisan?
Upon the declaration of intent to run for a given political position, individuals domiciled in the same hall of residence as the aspirant in question are often marshalled out to show solidarity. The same also goes for fellow department and faculty members. Although, this could be advantageous in the sense that the hall of residence comrades and faculty or departmental mates are privy to more information, as those individuals could have been tested and found trusted in some capacities, therefore being really competent enough, it could be very deleterious. Some halls of residence, departments, and faculties, in a bid to combat under-representation in political positions within the students’ governing body, are not usually concerned about the competency of the candidate, they are just focused on the weilding of power. Sometimes, they are not aware of their capabilities but some other times, they are aware but choose to hide it, necessarily for this purpose. With this in mind, we get to see excos and close friends of the individual in question in halls of residence and departments or faculties go out en masse to mobilize fellow comrades and solicit for their votes. This practice has eaten so deep into the fabric of the electoral system that some voters, when asked for their choice of candidates, have nothing else to say apart from the fact that the person in question is their hall of residence mate or their departmental or faculty member and they “believe” they would do well.
It is very important to know that the political pillar in the university is very pivotal in determining the course in which the university as a whole will be steered in. Therefore, it is very important that leaders are chosen strictly based on merit and competence rather than shared affiliations. If bias is put aside, we can be rest assured that the future of the university will be consistently committed in safe hands.
Nmesomachi Okoronkwo.