Political Cleavage
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Summary:
Nigeria’s political cleavage is a direct result of the country’s ethnic and religious cleavages (read those sections first before this). Three big political parties dominate Nigerian politics: the People’s DemocraticParty (PDP), All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), and the Alliance for Democracy Party (AD). However, political parties in Nigeria are ethnically based (though in recent years, some have been branching out to include other ethnicities), and therefore politicians fight for personal interest. Nigerian political parties are often considered a platform for obtaining power, and not improving the country.
In order to balance between the Christian and Muslim majority groups, the presidency is often in rotation – that is, should a Christian be in power now, the next president should be a Muslim, then Christian again, and so on. However, in 2011, Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, was elected after the death of Muslim president Umaru Yar’Adua, causing much controversy.
Effects on political participation:
Political participation is sharply divided between those living in the countryside and those in urban areas. In the countryside, political life is usually only evident during elections. However, people in urban areas are more active in politics. Most major violence and protests usually start from urban areas. For example, unpopular government policies such as the austerity plans in the 1990s resulted in mass riots in cities around Nigeria. At the same time, many people have become disillusioned by the effectiveness for their government (given ethnic and religious divisions, as well as corruption between politicians). As such, many interest groups have formed to represent different interests of the people. In addition, more powerful groups such as business groups have often tried to influence the government.
Nigeria’s political cleavage is a direct result of the country’s ethnic and religious cleavages (read those sections first before this). Three big political parties dominate Nigerian politics: the People’s DemocraticParty (PDP), All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), and the Alliance for Democracy Party (AD). However, political parties in Nigeria are ethnically based (though in recent years, some have been branching out to include other ethnicities), and therefore politicians fight for personal interest. Nigerian political parties are often considered a platform for obtaining power, and not improving the country.
In order to balance between the Christian and Muslim majority groups, the presidency is often in rotation – that is, should a Christian be in power now, the next president should be a Muslim, then Christian again, and so on. However, in 2011, Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, was elected after the death of Muslim president Umaru Yar’Adua, causing much controversy.
Effects on political participation:
Political participation is sharply divided between those living in the countryside and those in urban areas. In the countryside, political life is usually only evident during elections. However, people in urban areas are more active in politics. Most major violence and protests usually start from urban areas. For example, unpopular government policies such as the austerity plans in the 1990s resulted in mass riots in cities around Nigeria. At the same time, many people have become disillusioned by the effectiveness for their government (given ethnic and religious divisions, as well as corruption between politicians). As such, many interest groups have formed to represent different interests of the people. In addition, more powerful groups such as business groups have often tried to influence the government.