Shitu Kabir says Nigeria’s political crisis stems from missing ideological parties and calls for reforms to strengthen democracy
Former presidential candidate Shitu Kabir has blamed Nigeria’s deepening political crisis on the absence of ideological political parties, warning that the lack of clear political beliefs has entrenched opportunism and a winner-takes-all culture.
Also read: PDP Founding Fathers Urged to Resolve Leadership Crisis
Kabir, a former leader of the Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance and ex-chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, defending his decision to join the ruling All Progressives Congress despite his long-standing criticism of dominant parties.
According to Kabir, Nigeria’s refusal to embrace ideological party politics and proportional representation has left politicians motivated largely by personal gain rather than ideas.
“We wouldn’t have found ourselves in this mess. All we want is to find a way to just get what I want to get,” he said.
“We have no ideological political parties now.”
During his tenure as IPAC chairman, Kabir said proposals were submitted to the National Assembly to introduce proportional representation and reform local government elections, measures he argued would have strengthened democracy and reduced political desperation.
“If we had done proportional representation, when a political party wins 20 to 30 per cent of votes, they would have certain percentages of legislators awarded to them,” he explained, noting that such reforms would allow lawmakers to project conservative or progressive ideas consistently.
Kabir rejected claims that his move to the APC reflected opportunism ahead of the 2027 elections, insisting that ideological reform remains possible only within political parties under Nigeria’s constitution.
“You cannot build or propagate an ideology and stand alone. Under the Nigerian constitution, you must be in a political party in order to compete,” he said, adding that devolving power to federated units would strengthen grassroots politics and reduce cross-party defections.
Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, Kabir said the polls would remain competitive but emphasised that Nigeria’s political landscape has yet to become idea-driven.
Also read: Gabriel Suswam Quits PDP Amid Deepening Internal Crisis
“We have not built that ideological bridge,” he said, highlighting voter inducement and a weak democratic culture as persistent challenges.
