The role of political parties in integrating divided and plural societies cannot be
overemphasized. This lies on its ability to unite the ruled and the rulers and also to
incorporate all the diverse segments of the society for national development. Since modern
state institutions alone cannot promote national integration, political parties are therefore
seen as the fulcrum for democratic sustenance, nation-building and vehicle for national
cohesion. The crux of this paper is to interrogate how political parties in Nigeria since
independence have fared in building a cohesive and indivisible nation-state. The paper
argues that political parties, in spite of their over ninety years of existence in Nigeria, are
yet to play adequate role in integrating the nation. Rather, the poor performance and ethnic
inclinations of the parties have culminated in bad governance disunity of the country. The
paper thus suggests a restructuring of Nigeria‟s political parties within the confines of
genuine democratic norms, to ensure national integration, stable democracy and sustainable
development.