Why political party ‘structure’ matters in Nigeria
Nigerian Voters during a general election

On Sunday, October 9th, in tiny Lesotho, the Basotho—what people from Lesotho are called—voted to give the Revolution For Prosperity (RFP) a stunning victory at the polls.

Led by diamond magnate Sam Matekane and only formed in March this year, the RFP went from a standing start to a majority of 56 out of 120 seats in Lesotho’s parliament.

This fell only five seats short of an outright majority.

 

Key takeaways:

  1. Despite the Labour Party’s good start to the campaign cycle, the APC and PDP remain formidable and will be tough to beat. 

  2. Both parties attained this dominance through a self-reinforcing cycle of accumulating resources and extending reach across the country.

  3. Declining voter turnout suggests this is a good time to challenge Nigeria’s political duopoly.

 

The RFP has come to power in Lesotho at a time of political gridlock and instability, which has hampered the ability of the ruling All Basotho Congress

This story is only available to Premium subscribers Subscribe or sign in to finish reading

Not ready to subscribe? Register to read a selection of free stories

Joachim MacEbong

Joachim MacEbong

Read Latest

Cold Storage in Africa I: Market size, Segmentation, Drivers (July 2025)

PREMIUM - 01 JUL 2025

Weekly Africa Macro Update: June 23 - 27, 2025

PREMIUM - 30 JUN 2025

Local-currency PE funds could unlock Africa’s pension capital base

PREMIUM - 27 JUN 2025

Agriculture Transaction Brief: Ghanaian agri-tech firm, Complete Farmer, raises €2.2m ($2.5m) from EU-backed agricultural fund

PREMIUM - 25 JUN 2025

Download our mobile app for a more immersive reading experience

Scan QR code
mobile download