From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, has called for an amendment of the 1999 Constitution to provide statutory demand for zoning of national elective offices, to ensure political stability in the country.
Metuh also demanded an amendment of the nation’s constitution to prohibit party defection by elected government officials at all levels during their term in office.
He made the call while delivering a lecture at the maiden international conference of the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, at the weekend.
He also called for political accountability among parties by instituting legal provisions requiring parties to submit ideologically grounded, programme-specific manifestos before elections.
Metuh, who shared his deep political experience in the lecture entitled, ‘Institutionalizing Political Parties in Nigeria for Good Governance, Security and Development: The Case for Ideological Depth, Stability, and Democratic Consolidation,’ examined issues and challenges of party politics, democratic institutions and governance in Nigeria and Africa and preferred solutions.
Detailing his experience and suggesting solutions under what he called the Metuh Political Doctrine, he identified zoning and power rotation as a pathway to national integration given Nigeria’s ethnoregional diversity.
“Though zoning has often been practised informally within parties, its inconsistent application breeds tension and perceptions of exclusion. Institutionalising regional zoning through constitutional provisions would create predictability, promote inclusiveness and enhance elite consensus. The high rate of defections among elected officials erodes party identity, weakens the mandate of the electorate and fosters political instability. It also incentivises opportunism over ideological loyalty.
“To strengthen party institutionalisation, this paper recommends amending the constitution to prohibit defections by elected officials during their tenure, with clearly defined and narrowly tailored exceptions, like merger or collapse of party. This aligns with the principle of electoral mandate fidelity,” he said.
On the calls for legal requirements on party ideology, Metuh identified party political ideology as the bedrock for normative and policy framework that should determine and guide party actions for which it must also be held responsible.
However, he lamented that “in contrast, Nigerian parties have largely functioned as electoral vehicles for elite competition, lacking clear ideological distinctions.
“The absence of ideology impairs voter alignment, weakens accountability and makes parties susceptible to elite capture and factional crises.
“Party manifestos, when well-crafted and publicised, serve as instruments of policy communication and voter engagement.
“They facilitate programmatic competition, where parties are judged by their policy proposals rather than patronage networks. In Nigeria, party manifestos are often generic, recycled and poorly implemented.
“Institutionalising manifestos through legal mechanisms and voter education would compel parties to abide by their declared programmes and provide a basis for electoral accountability.”
He also called for the breaking of the patronage cycle, where parties depend on wealthy individuals leading to elite domination, which according to him, weakens party autonomy and sidelines grassroots participation.
He said: “To institutionalise parties effectively, a reformed funding architecture is essential.”
Calling for an establishment of the Independent Party Finance Commission to audit party finances and sanction noncompliance, he added that such reforms would empower parties financially while reducing dependence on moneybags and preserving democratic accountability.
The post Ex-PDP’s scribe Metuh demands statutory provision on zoning, legal cap on defection appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
