Arms Resistance and Influence on Political Parties in Nigeria

This article explored arms resistance and influence on political parties in Nigeria in the context of its impact and implications on the Nigeria socio-economic and political environment. The exercise was necessitated by the nature of Nigeria democratic environment that has been characterized by violence amongst political parties in the game of ‘who gets what, when and how”. This violence has culminated into the use and counter use of arms as a resistance mechanism to suppress opposition or opponents in the power struggle. This paper sought to identify factors responsible for the proliferation of arms in the Nigerian political system by the political parties which has made the system undemocratic and a war zone for political gladiators who would stop at nothing to win elections and remain in power. The paper also sought to trace the historical antecedents of arms resistance in the Nigeria political system as well as the way forward. It adopted frustration–aggression theory and Marxist conflict theory on post-colonial state as theoretical frameworks. This paper contends that irrespective of the fact that arms resistance in the Nigeria political system which has undermined social, economic and political stability is a colonial factor, it has been exacerbated by the monetization of politics, lack of party ideology, clientalism, unemployment, and lack of internal democracy. It recommends demonetization of politics, job creation, party discipline, internal democracy, review of arms laws and border defense as a way forward.