Al-Hikmah University Journal

In most democratic countries Nigeria not an exception, political parties remain vehicles through which the goals of many political aspirations are realized. While a plethora of studies on intra party conflicts and the entrenchment of democratic values within those parties in Nigeria exists, the intra-party conflicts within the PDP during the 2019 polls and the implications these conflicts had on INEC’s Management of the election have received little attention. Therefore, the objectives of the study are: investigating the causes of intra-party conflicts within the PDP prelude to the 2019 governorship elections in Kogi state and identifying implications if any such conflicts had any on the operations of INEC in its management and conduct of the 2019 gubernatorial polls in Kogi. Data was obtained through unstructured interviews and questionnaire and analyzed using simple percentage. The population of the study covers the members of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, INEC, Security personnel and observers. A sample of 315 respondents were chosen from the population of the study in the three metropolitan local government areas. Findings of the study were that the factors that led to intra-party conflicts within PDP included suspicion and distrust; bribery and corruption; lack of a proper internal dispute resolution process and attendant lack of spirit of sportsmanship; power tussle; ethnic and regional politicking; unfair treatment of members and political godfatherism with imposition of candidates. Also, the implications of the intra party conflicts within the PDP on the effective conducts of election by INEC were largely negative as it prevented INEC from proper evaluation of the PDP primary; It affected INEC personnel safety during the poll and It affected the submission of names of candidate by the party; also, PDP intra party conflicts led to persistent violence which eroded trust in the electoral process, leading to decreased confidence in INEC and the democratic process as a whole; It led to fear and intimidation. The study recommended that: There should be ideological commitments and transparency in PDP’s financial administration; The imposition of candidates into any elective position by the party should be abolished. The right of every member must be respected and preserved; PDP should embrace the concept of reforms and review the zoning arrangement; There is need to infuse a mechanism for conflict resolution and peace building; Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must attach greater importance to the legal framework of election in Nigeria; Independent Electoral Commission should be independent in its outlook and purpose.