BEN AHANONU
During the 2023 general election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost the Imo East Senatorial election, finishing a distant third. This outcome was largely the fallout of a consensus arrangement that produced an unpopular candidate in the Owerri Zone, while sidelining highly influential and popular aspirants, who could have defeated any opponent and secured victory for the party.
The crucial question now is: why will that happen again?
When I heard that the APC had adopted the tried-and-tested Option A4 for the primary elections—popularized by the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu, which gave Nigeria its freest, most inexpensive, and most transparent election in June 1993 before being truncated by self-serving men in power, who did not wish Nigeria well—I was elated to the core. However, when I suddenly learned that the date of the election had been changed along with the method, and that the party had adopted a “consensus candidacy” approach, I sank into despair, with subdued optimism and paled expectations.
“Why consensus candidacy again?” I asked with bewilderment, looking vaguely at the empty blue sky in shattered, forlorn hope for the best, which quickly turned into a mirage.
Consensus candidacy is a political process where a single individual is chosen as a party’s flag-bearer by unanimous agreement among all aspirants, eliminating the need for a competitive primary vote. Under the Electoral Act 2026, it stands as one of only two legally recognized methods for political parties in Nigeria to nominate candidates, following the abolition of indirect, delegate-based primaries.
In practice, consensus candidacy functions as an elite-driven mechanism that subverts the democratic franchise by replacing public electoral processes with predetermined, informal negotiations among party oligarchs. This practice concentrates power within a small group of ‘godfathers’ and restricts democratic participation through enforced candidate selection, eroding the institutionalization of internal party democracy.
The Illusion of Choice
Democratic governance relies entirely on the power of the ballot box. In Nigeria, however, the powerful political mechanism of “consensus candidacy” routinely bypasses the voter. Under this arrangement, political parties choose flag-bearers through elite negotiations behind closed doors, effectively reducing primary elections to mere coronation ceremonies. While party leaders defend consensus as a tool for stability, the practice severely undermines the democratic rights of the electorate.
Electing candidates by consensus negates core democratic principles by replacing public accountability with elite manipulation. In a standard democracy, power flows from the citizens through open voting. Consensus politics reverses this flow, forcing voters to ratify decisions already made by political power brokers. Despite legal reforms requiring written consent for withdrawals, Nigerian parties routinely use intimidation to manufacture “unanimous” consensus.
Although Nigeria’s Electoral Act allows for consensus candidacy, it strictly mandates the written consent of all cleared aspirants.
In reality, voluntarism is rarely part of the equation. Backroom deals rely heavily on coercion, zoning formulas, and ‘godfatherism.’ Powerful governors and party financiers dictate terms, issuing ultimatums to independent-minded aspirants. Those who resist, face political isolation or sudden disqualification.
On the day of the election, party members do not vote to select a leader; instead, they vote to ratify a decision made days prior in private hotel suites. This transforms a public civic duty into an elite boardroom transaction.
Subverting Nigeria’s Democracy
Consensus candidacy is quietly dismantling the foundations of Nigeria’s democratic system. While proponents argue that it promotes party unity and reduces the financial costs of primaries, the reality is far more dangerous. It replaces the vibrant, unpredictable will of the electorate with the calculated decisions of a few political elites. By prioritizing elite convenience over public choice, consensus candidacy threatens to turn Nigeria’s democracy into a hollow ritual.
A healthy democracy relies on robust competition within political parties. When a party uses a consensus model, it bypasses the competitive primary process entirely. The widespread use of consensus arrangements inflicts deep structural damage on Nigeria’s democracy by reinforcing the notorious culture of ‘godfatherism.’ This results in:
Loyalty Over Competence: Candidates chosen via consensus are rarely picked for their visionary leadership or competence. Instead, they are selected based on their loyalty to party oligarchs.
Puppet Leadership: Elected officials chosen through this method owe their allegiance to the godfathers, who cleared their path, rather than to the citizens they swear to serve.
Systemic Corruption: To secure a consensus nod, aspirants often engage in massive financial trade-offs and promise state resources, locking the country into a cycle of corruption before an administration even begins.
Consensus candidacy is an old-guard monopoly that naturally favours entrenched, wealthy politicians, who have spent time and money building transactional networks. This terrible system locks out women and minority groups, ensuring that Nigeria’s leadership remains unrepresentative of its vibrant population.
The Path Forward
It is true that democracy is fundamentally built on the principle of choice. Consensus candidacy effectively strips voters of this power long before general elections begin. When major political parties choose their flag-bearers in closed rooms, voters are presented with a fait accompli. Consequently, citizens lose faith in the electoral ecosystem, resulting in record-low voter turnout.
If Nigeria is to safeguard its democratic future, the reliance on consensus candidacy must be fiercely resisted. Political parties must return to direct or transparent primaries where financial inducement is penalized and every card-carrying member has a voice. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must also strictly enforce guidelines ensuring that “consensus” is genuinely unanimous, rather than a euphemism for political coercion.
Democracy is messy, expensive, and unpredictable—and it is supposed to be. However, trading the vibrant friction of open elections for the quiet comfort of elite consensus transforms Nigeria’s democracy into an autocracy in disguise. Without doubt, consensus candidacy has evolved from a crisis-management tool into a weapon for elite control. It allows the political class to self-replicate while shutting out women, youth, and reform-minded outsiders, who lack godfather backing.
To safeguard Nigeria’s democratic future, INEC must enforce strict compliance with legal safeguards. The judiciary must thoroughly scrutinize forced withdrawals. Most importantly, ordinary citizens and party members must reject the imposition of anointed candidates. Democracy thrives on competition, not backroom coronations. Nigeria cannot build a transparent nation on a foundation of rigged internal politics.
Prince Ben Ahanonu
SPOKESPERSON
ALAIGBO POLITICAL WATCHDOG (APW)