By Atlantic Reports

Political parties must remove financial, cultural and structural barriers that prevent Nigerians from participating fully in governance, democracy advocate Ezenwa Nwagwu has said.

Nwagwu, Executive Director of the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), made the call in Abuja on Monday during a colloquium, book launch and dinner marking his 60th birthday.

Speaking to journalists after the colloquium, he said democracy remained incomplete when significant sections of society were excluded from representation and decision-making.

“The very idea of democracy is participation. And at the core of it is that every segment of society, the young, the vulnerable, the aged and the able-bodied must have a representation on the table,” he said.

“Once there is a section, the women particularly are left behind, then that democracy is not inclusive.”

Cost and Party Structures Under Scrutiny

Nwagwu identified expensive expression-of-interest and nomination forms as obstacles to political participation. He argued that those benefiting from democracy were narrowing access by making entry into electoral contests financially difficult.

He also criticised the use of culture to justify exclusion and party arrangements that largely confined women to the position of women leader, rather than giving them broader influence in core leadership bodies.

“A national working committee that has about 12 people and you have only maybe two women, their voices can’t be heard in that representation,” he said.

His remarks were a critique of party practices. He did not identify specific parties or provide nomination fees and leadership figures for comparison.

Nwagwu urged parties to examine how their rules, costs and internal structures affected people seeking to participate.

“We need to begin to think deeper in terms of how the political parties can expand the space, remove these obstacles that are financial, cultural and political, that tend to obstruct these vulnerable sections of society from participation,” he said.

A Call for Competence and Representation

Despite the barriers he described, Nwagwu said he remained an “incurable optimist” about the possibility of a prosperous and inclusive Nigeria.

He expressed support for a political system in which competence and capacity carried greater weight than ethnic and religious divisions.

Nwagwu also acknowledged the contributions of activists, including Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and urged recognition for younger Nigerians working to expand democratic participation.

Speakers at the event reflected on his advocacy and mentorship.

President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr Ike Neliaku, commended Nwagwu’s consistency and urged public office holders to treat leadership as a responsibility whose consequences outlast their tenure.

“Leaders must know that every opportunity given to you is an examination. What you do with that opportunity will mark your legacy after you have left office,” Neliaku said.

Former Independent National Electoral Commission National Commissioner, Mrs Amina Zakari, praised Nwagwu’s approach to civic advocacy, describing it as calm and grounded in maturity.

Grace Ike, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, FCT Chapter, said his encouragement and guidance had supported her leadership journey in union politics and public service.

Beyond the birthday tributes, Nwagwu’s central appeal was for political parties to make participation more accessible and give underrepresented groups a stronger role in decisions that affect their lives.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.