Driven by the intrigues of the recently concluded Yar’Adua saga, I made the decision to follow the 2011 elections far more closely than I had done in previous years. There has been no shortage of learning opportunities. One of my more interesting discoveries has been the fact that Nigeria is home to 53 political parties. The real source of surprise here is not simply the number of parties – most large democracies are comprised of similar if not greater numbers of parties – but rather, the fact that virtually every single one of them seems powerless to challenge the supremacy of the reigning PDP.

When taken in context, the recent decision by the House of Representatives to reject a mandatory two party system comes as little surprise. Of the current 360 members of the House, 267 are members of the PDP. Enforcing a two party system would likely result in the consolidation of the remaining 52 parties, resulting in the kind of critical mass that could potentially challenge the existing political juggernaut. Fully aware that the current micro party system suits their best interests, the majority of the House members dismissed the two party motion.

The late (great) Fela’s interpretation of Nigerian democracy quickly springs to mind.

There is a second, equally worrisome implication of the current political landscape. How many Nigerian voters can articulate the parties’ stand on key issues? Granted, there isn’t much wiggle room for any of the parties on some of our most pressing issues, such as electricity generation – regardless of which party you represent, we don’t generate enough electricity, so fix it. It is here that I urge Nigeria’s (many) politicians to make an important step forward and stop simply saying what they will do, and start explaining how they intend to do it.