Political Godfatherism, Electoral Politics and Governance in Nigeria.

Abstract: An emergent feature of politics in Nigeria is the phenomenon of godfatherism in the leadership of political parties. As a result of the political class's corruption of the electoral process and governmental structures, electoral politics and state power are skewed towards satisfying the self-regarding interests of the dominant political mentors otherwise known as 'political godfathers'. Relying on their wealth, they secure party nomination for candidates of their choice, sponsor their election, including manipulating the electoral process. This paper is intended to examine critically the phenomenon of political godfatherism in Nigeria and its implications for the people's clamour for democracy. It is also intended to proffer logically derived solutions to the problem of godfatherism and democracy in Nigeria and other developing countries. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]