ABSTRACT

Party politics, as a cardinal element in a democracy, serve as the platform for politicians.

However, at a point in the political process, interests often collide, resulting in a dispute.

Such dispute comes in two forms - intra-party and inter-party. This study examines the nature

of intra-party dispute, the last leadership dispute in the People's Democratic Party (PDP), a

major Nigerian political party, and the way the media, through newspapers' editorials,

portrayed the dispute. The study seeks to draw attention to the importance of the media's

watchdog role in democratic sustenance and why the media must not stand aloof in time of

intra-party dispute. This study adopted the qualitative methodology of content analysis. The

study found that the media exhibited a level of responsiveness in their portrayal of the PDP ·

dispute. This finding shows the media as a key factor in the growth and sustenance of

democracy in every society.