By Tunde Oseni, Associate Professor
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WHAT IS POLITICS ? (ARISTOTLE AND HAROLD LASSWELL)
MICRO AND MACRO POLITICS
ANATOMY OF PARTY POLITICS
LEVELS OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION (GLADIATORS, TRANSISTORS AND SPECTATORS)
CITIZENS, VOTERS, PARTISANS AND PARTY SYMPATHISERS
POLITICS, POLICIES AND PROPAGANDA
THE ‘KARINKAPO’ STRATEGY AND THE ‘DUE’ APPROACH
CONCLUSION: MOBILISATION IS EQUAL TO SOCIALISATION PLUS SENSITISATION
ANATOMY OF PARTY POLITICS
‘We are all Political Animals’ (Aristotle)
Politics is about who gets what, when and how (Harold Lasswell)
Politics is the most important human activity
Politics can be categorized into three: Micro and Macro Politics
Party politics is the totality of political activities around Power, Interest and Resources
Party Politics is the live wire of Representative Democracy
No Parties, No Representation; No Representation, Democracy
Levels of political participation
Gladiators (e.g. Governance Advisory Council, GAC, State Executive Council, Zonal)
Transistors (LG and Ward Leaders)
Spectators (Passive Members and Sympathisers)
NB: Spectators can graduate into becoming Transistors and Transistors can become gladiators, but not all transistors will become gladiators. It is the order of the nature that some will lead and others will follow. A Political Scientist, Robert Mitchel called it the ‘Iron Law of Oligarchy’.
CITIZENS, VOTERS, PARTISANS AND PARTY SYMPATHISERS
CITIZENS: all Lagosians and Nigerians by birth and or residence of all genders, age groups, ethnicity, region and religion
VOTERS: citizens of 18 years and above who have PVCs
PARTISANS: citizens who belong to political parties
PARTY SYMPATHISERS: citizens who like the ideology or orientation but do not belong to political parties
NB: Party mobilisers, leaders and operatives must widen the net of mobilization to include all these categories but must start with internal mobilization of members and then extend to the external mobilization on non-partisans including the voters and party sympathisers
NB: Lagos has the highest number of registered voters: as at August 1, 2022, top five states are: Lagos 7.15m, Kano 6.02m Kaduna 4.4m Rivers 3.68m Kastina 3.5m
Politics, policies and propaganda
Politics: Interest, Power and Resources
Policies: Actions and Decisions of the Government
Propaganda: Creating and sharing of information in the promotion of politics and policies of the government and party
NB: Politics and Policies are interwoven, interrelated and interconnected; Propaganda could be negative or positive; a good party mobiliser must have a balanced knowledge of the trilogy of politics, policies and propaganda. e.g. THEMES Development Agenda of Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration in Lagos State
THEMES: Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism as well as Security and Governance
THE ‘KARINKAPO’ STRATEGY BASED ON THE ‘DUE’ APPROACH
The best mobilisers are the best socialisers and sensitisers
In other words, Mobilisation is equal to socialization and sensitization
Political socialization is the deliberate inculcation of political values, beliefs and sentiments
Political sensitisation is the dissemination of information on political values, beliefs and sentiments
The Karinkapo or The More The Merrier Strategy (TMTM Strategy) is effective when based on the DUE Approach
DUE: Diplomacy, Unity and Engagement
Conclusion
Party Politics is the Oxygen of Representative Democracy (No Parties, No Representation, No Representation, No Democracy)
Political participation has levels; individuals must know their level and the kind of loyalty, patience and hard work they need to put in to reach the next level
Internal mobilization must precede external mobilization: all are needed: citizens, voters, partisans, and party sympathisers
Party leaders, members and operatives must understand the dynamics of politics, policies and propaganda, which are all crucial to mobilization, both in forms of socialization and sensitization
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
Associate Professor Tunde Oseni delivered this paper at the Retreat for Party Exco members and LGA Chairmen organised by the Lagos State chapter of APC
