Weak Political Competition Threatens Nigeria’s Democracy — Athena Observatory

The Athena Election Observatory (AEO) has said that Nigeria’s democratic system was facing a structural threat driven by weakening political competition and fragile institutional foundations.

This was contained in its newly released Political Landscape Monitor Policy Note titled “Nigeria’s Democracy and the Imperative of Competitive Politics,” which was shared on Tuesday by former Minister of Aviation and chancellor of the Athena centre for policy and leadership, Barr. Osita Chidoka.

According to the Observatory, as political parties approach a crucial pre-election period, the challenges confronting Nigeria’s democracy extended beyond individual party disputes.

“The country’s democratic system faces a structural threat that goes beyond any single party dispute: the weakening of the institutional foundations on which credible political competition depends,” the report stated.

The policy note highlighted recurring crises within major political parties, pointing to leadership disputes in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), factional tensions in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and concerns over internal cohesion within the Labour Party (LP).

It stressed that these developments were not isolated incidents but indicators of a broader institutional problem affecting the country’s political system.

“Political coordination in Nigeria consistently outpaces the institutional frameworks required to sustain it,” the report noted, adding that “where the structure of competition is unstable, opaque, or overly personalised, the quality of democratic choice is diminished.”

The Observatory also examined the roles of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the judiciary, urging both institutions to demonstrate greater clarity, consistency, and restraint in handling politically sensitive cases.

It concluded that strengthening the institutional foundations of political competition is essential to safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy.

“Strengthening the institutional foundations of political competition is not a partisan objective, but a constitutional and democratic imperative,” the report stated.

The Athena Election Observatory, an initiative of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, said it will continue to release periodic policy notes tracking Nigeria’s political and electoral developments ahead of the 2027 general election.