Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, the President, Nations Leadership Institute, has advocated for overhaul of political party machineries in the country to make them more democratic.

Oyedepo made the call on Thursday in Ilorin in a paper delivered at the weekly political dialogue organised by the institute.

He spoke on “Understanding the Workings of Political Party”.

“Political Party as handmaid of democracy must be made more democratic not only in theory but in operation or practice. There is the need to overhaul the party machineries in Nigeria,” he said.

Oyedepo called on men and women with knowledge, skill and experience in organisation to venture into party administration and management.

He advised Nigerian youths to show interest in party administration instead of eyeing government appointments

“Youths need not eye government positions alone but should go into the administration of political parties as foundation of democracy,” he said.

Oyedepo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said party members should turn themselves to party workers instead of party beggars, adding that all must contribute in cash and kind to party funding.

He said that for political parties to be functional and democratic, they must not be funded by individual, but by members of the political parties.

“A good party is not one that is being funded by a few money bags as he who pays the piper dictates the tune,” he said.

According to him, parities should be funded through payment of annual dues, donations by members and interest groups, volunteers, sales of materials like party flags, face-cap, T-shirts, constitution and nomination forms.

In his own contribution, Malam Tunde Mohammed, a media consultant, said most Nigerians did not have passion and commitment to political parties, saying that people just come together to form political party without ideology.

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“People are not carried along during party formation, many members of political party are not committed to the party, they only see the party as avenue to make money.

“Nobody in Kwara can claim ownership of APC in Kwara; the owners are in Lagos and Abuja.

“All political parties in Nigeria are assemblage of people hurriedly put together; that is why all our political parties don’t have internal cohesion.

“Party formation in Nigeria is very wrong, what we should do is that whenever a political party is about to be formed; every part of the country should be carried along.

“This is not done, the big men will continue to control the parties and take decisions on your behalf, even if such decisions are wrong, they will lack respect for law and party constitution.

“An example is what is happening in the All Progressives Congress (APC) now where Buni caretaker committee has no respect for the party constitution,” he said.

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He said political parties were not owned by members in the country, but by few individuals that have money.

Mohammed described logo of any political party as very powerful, not only identification but ideology of the party.

“Those that formed a political party don’t know the significance of logo. Logo is a powerful jingle; it signifies the strength of that political party in line with the aspiration of the people. Logo says much about the party,” Mohammed added.