Religion, Ethnicity, and Politics: Ticket-Zoning and the Consolidation of Democracy in a Marginalized Nigeria

Abstract: Political parties in several parts of world are as important as the democratic process itself. However, despites this unifying purpose, the modus operandi and philosophical inclination differs across board, one of which is the zoning principle. This paper examined the ‘zoning’ principle as adopted by political parties in Nigeria and its implication for the consolidation of democratic practice in Nigeria using a qualitative methodology which included a scientific review of literature, case studies, and interviews in selected marginalized regions in Nigeria to gain a deeper insight into the impact of ticket zoning on the consolidation of democracy. The theoretical foundation of this paper is based on the duo of Alan Ware’s Theory of Intra-Party Democracy and Robert Michels’ Iron Law of Oligarchy owing to the notion that parties must exercise a considerable amount of internal democracy before laying claim to consolidating same and that political parties though are supposed to carry the will of the majority and showcase democracy are unequivocally dominated by a very small group of people who control the parties from the background respectively. The findings from the survey reveal a nuanced perspective among respondents, with the majority understanding the principle of ticket-zoning well. A significant proportion have voted based on this principle, while divergent opinions exist on its impact on democracy and the emergence of competent leaders. Respondents also highlight the positive and negative impacts of ticket-zoning on power distribution and resource allocation. Recommendations from the study include a call for a delicate balance between ticket-zoning and meritocracy to ensure competent leadership. Keywords: Zoning, Political parties, Democracy, Consolidation, Nigeria. Title: Religion, Ethnicity, and Politics: Ticket-Zoning and the Consolidation of Democracy in a Marginalized Nigeria Author: Adeyeye, Jibril A., Dr. Salawu, Ibrahim O., Adeyeye Shade M. International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online) Vol. 13, Issue 4, October 2025 - December 2025 Page No: 562-569 Research Publish Journals Website: www.researchpublish.com Published Date: 08-December-2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17853000 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/religion-ethnicity-and-politics-ticket-zoning-and-the-consolidation-of-democracy-in-a-marginalized-nigeria