VICE President Namadi Sambo and the Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang have said that without strong and focus political parties in the country, Nigeria's democracy cannot be sustained due to lack of vibrant policies that will impact positively on the lives of the electorate.
Sambo added that political parties in the country lacked capacity to develop into strong instruments for developing sound institutions. He said that rather than developing strong political institutions to deepen the country's democratic culture, more attention was being paid to the establishment of governmental bodies and civic organisations.
The duo spoke Wednesday at the inauguration of Political Party Leadership and a Development Centre at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos in Plateau State.
The Vice President who was represented by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Senator Isaiah Ballat, added that both institutions were important but that without strong and dynamic political parties, democracy cannot survive on the long run.
According to him, political parties like any other institutions should continually seek to enhance their capacity in response to changing circumstances.
Sambo added: "Leaders of political parties owe themselves the obligation to take advantage of the opportunities offered by this all important Centre for self-improvement. Let participation in this training become the turning point in your lives as you position yourselves to effectively take up the challenges of being the successor generation to today's leaders."
He added that leadership is developed through a never-ending process of self-study, self-assessment, education and training, saying that there was the need to constantly sharpen the skills of political party leaders to be in tune with the developing environment.
Jang stressed that political parties play critical roles in the sustenance of democracy hence a forum that will bring the parties together to brainstorm in the interest of the country cannot be over emphasized.
Jang who was represented by his Deputy, Mr. Ignatius Longjan said the development has encouraged him to continue to work for enduring peace in the state to provide a conducive environment for political discourse, adding that the state had hosted several national political events.
The Guardian