INTRA-PARTY FACTIONALISM AND POLICY CUM IDEOLOGICAL COHERENCE IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF THE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Intra-party factionalism has been a subject of study and discourse among scholars and policy analysts respectively. But its impact on policy and ideological coherence within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria remains understudied. This study focuses on addressing this gap. As an implication, the study also explores how these impact on the democratic process within the party and the entire country. Being a case-study, the study is qualitative in nature and data was collected using documentary methods. The study is anchored on the Factionalism Theory and the Iron Law of Oligarchy. With these theories, the study finds that leadership struggles, personal rivalries, ethno-regional divisions, and resource distribution account for factionalism within the PDP. It also argues that the over-centralization of power by the elite in the PDP over time with less regard for the grassroots input triggered the formation of factions within the party. This eventually affected negatively intra-party ideological and policy coherence in the party leading to ineffectiveness in governance. The implication is that lack of internal party democracy as a result of elite capture of the party brings disunity and discord. Thus, political parties need to take into account the interests of all its members encouraging the institutionalization of transparent and participatory governance processes.