Candidacy, political parties and representative government in Nigeria

The study using secondary source of data, such as the Electoral Act (2010), newspaper articles, journal articles, fourth republican constitution of Nigeria, etc. identified the processes involved in the emergence of a candidate for election in Nigeria and also examined the implications of the process for representative government in Nigeria. The paper revealed that the process involved in the emergence of a candidate from political party platform for election is by shadow or primary election or internal democracy. The paper also revealed that the process of a candidate’s emergence on a political party platform is a determinant of sustainable democratic practice in Nigeria. The study concludes that for democracy to be sustained in Nigeria, qualified party members must be allowed to take active part in primary elections and qualified adult citizens to vote in general elections.