Democratic Principles and Political Leadership in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects

Abstract

This study investigated democratic principles and political leadership in Nigeria: problems and prospects. Leadership crises in Nigeria have been attributed to failure of political leaders to imbibe democratic principles and provide necessary infrastructures. Trait theory was used to guide the study. However, a critical analysis of the extant literature indicated that selfish desires of political leaders to wield powers and control the state apparatus, corruption, recycling of leaders, illiteracy and lack of political education and wrong interpretation of politics by the players and their admirers are primarily responsible for leadership problems in Nigeria and inability of political class to truly adopt democratic principles in discharge of their constitutional functions. Based on these findings we proffered the following solutions: that political parties should enthrone internal party democracy in choosing party candidates, poverty alleviation should be vigorously pursued and conquered since a hungry man is an angry man, mass literacy and education of the populace should be considered a necessity.