History and development of political parties in nigeria. Most people do not known about this political parties in nigeria. History of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder. This aspect of the process embodies undeniable opportunities and challenges at the time of writing, lara natalini was a research fellow at the africa institute of south africa.
In preindependence era, party politics in nigeria was based on ethnic factor. This is the main question, which this paper addresses with emphasis on political ideology, being the first and most important vehicle of a political party. Activities disobeying political finance regulations. Contending issues and the way forward idike, adeline nnenna, ph. A political party is an organized group of people who have the same ideology, or who otherwise have the same political positions, and who field candidates for elections, in an attempt to get them elected and thereby implement the partys agenda while there is some international commonality in the way political parties are recognized and in how they operate, there are often many differences.
He was detained for 10 months following a coup that brought muhammad buhari to power at the end of. An assessment of political parties and democratic consolidation in nigerias fourth republic mike omilusi, phd department of political science ekiti state university, nigeria abstract democratic values and practices are crucial for democratic. Political party and party system support in nigeria is unfolding in a climate of political and. Since the division of the republican party in the election of 1912, it has positioned itself as progressive and supporting labor in economic as well as social matters. In other words, viable political parties contribute to. The top three political parties at the moment still remains all progressive congress apc, peoples democratic party pdp, and all progressives grand alliance apga.
The democratic party is one of two major political parties in the united states, and is the oldest political party in the world. The history of political parties in nigeria began when the first political party in nigeria was established in 1959, the year before nigeria gained her independence from great britain. Available records on the history of the political development of nigeria since independence have shown that the reins of government has always fallen into the hands of a political leadership class that showed more interest in private, group or ethnic gains than in the general wellbeing of the nigerian state. National council of nigeria and the cameroons ncnc. This article contains the full list of political parties in nigeria. D department of public administration and local government university of nigeria, nsukka abstract it has been highlighted in this study that political apathy is a seemingly innocuous issue in the. The constitution provides for a bicameral national assembly, which consists of the house of representatives and the. Nigeria has the appropriate credentials for greatness. Review of international assistance to political party and party system. The key test to the political future of nigeria still lies in an enduring civilian governance. Most people do not know but there are presently 68 inec recognized political parties in nigeria updated for 2018. See comprehensive 50state campaign contributions, independent spending, and lobbying details for candidates, political parties and ballot measures at. Some of these impacts, as divulged in the paper, have continued to bedevil the political environment of the country in her postindependence era.
Political parties 19961998 national democratic coalition nadeco committee for national consensus cnc democratic party of nigeria dpn grassroots democratic movement gdm national centre party of nigeria ncpn united nigeria congress party uncp justice party jp. The role of opposition parties in a democracy kasyp. It is also agreed that one of the main factors hindering political participation among the youth is the lack of quality civic and political education. I restrict my discussion to political parties in democracies i. Equal participation of women and men in decisionmaking. Political contributions and lobbying exxonmobil believes that registering and voting, keeping informed on political matters, serving in civic bodies and campaigning and officeholding at local, state and national levels are important rights and responsibilities of the citizens of a democracy. The school draws attention to the potential negative consequences of free interaction between politics and. Political parties and party systems in africa published by the berkeley electronic press, 2007 minority premium e. The development of political parties in nigeria dates back to the days of the struggle for political independent in the late 1940s, when the nationalists were at the preindependence and postindependence periods. This paper, therefore, examines the impacts of this movement on the actualization of nigerian independence. All political parties have a large retinue of thugs many of whom follow the winning political party into office e. The three political parties were the national council of nigeria and the cameroons ncnc. Article 7, called upon states parties to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public life of the country. In 1999 only 3 political parties contested elections in nigeria.
Political parties and the prospects of democratic consolidation in. In nigeria, the 1999 constitution as amended of the federal republic of nigeria specified in section 225 16 conditions and scrutiny of the sources of funds and expenses of political parties. Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. The paper concludes that, the evolution and subsequent development of political parties. Inec has about 28 duly registered websites in nigeria. The lack of job opportunities is at the core of the high poverty levels, of regional inequality, and of social and political unrest in. Most people do not know but there are presently 68 inec recognized political parties in nigeriaupdated for 2018. Shola lecturer, department of political science and international relations, landmark university, omuaran, kwara state, nigeria abstract political ideology is an important vehicle of a. Ethnic politics and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Political parties political parties in nigeria have almost always been regionally and ethinically based.
Under the 1999 constitution, executive power is vested in a president who serves as both the head of state and the chief executive, is directly elected to a fouryear term, and nominates the vice president and members of the cabinet. The aim is not to document the good or ugly things political parties are doing in contemporary east africa a task that has been assigned to practicing politicians who were invited to the conference. Thus, only five political parties out of fifty political associations that applied for registration were eventually registered. Section 93 stipulates that election expenses by every candidate shall not exceed. The history of political parties boundless political science. Political campaign planning manual page 8 of 105 introduction a political campaign can be an exciting experience. A case of peoples democratic party article pdf available november 2014 with 5,422 reads how we measure reads. Political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. Ethnicity and development of political parties in nigeria.
This has contributed to a process of concentration of wealth. The countrys extreme factionalism led to an incoherent party system with a large number of parties that deepened ethnic and religious cleavages. National party of nigeria political party, nigeria. Pdf political parties in nigerias emerging democracy. Pages in category defunct political parties in nigeria the following 40 pages are in this category, out of 40 total. Handbook on promoting womens participation in political.
Liebowitz and jibrin ibrahim, for their valuable contribution to the study of nigerias political parties. This is a fundamental right guaranteed by section 40 of the 1999 constitution. So here is a list of all the political parties in nigeria as approved by inec. In 1959, there were three political parties in the country and they include the following. A political party or candidate may accept donations from prohibited sources or spend more than. Political parties and poverty of ideology in nigeria olanrewaju, john. But in 2003, 25 new political parties were registered by the national electoral body, bringing to 28 the number of political parties that contested the 2003 elections. Under nigerian law, any individual interested in running for any political office must be a. An analysis grace malachi brown, phd department of history and diplomatic studies faculty of humanities rivers state university of education pmb 5047, rumuolumeni port harcourt, rivers state nigeria. Do all political parties have records of all contributions to their campaign funds. Nigeria adopted a new legal framework for the 2011 elections following amendments to the electoral act and constitution in late 2010 and early 2011. For democracy to thrive and be sustained therefore in nigeria and africa, whole political parties need be grown to. An assessment of political parties and democratic consolidation in nigeria s fourth republic mike omilusi, phd department of political science ekiti state university, nigeria abstract democratic values and practices are crucial for democratic institutionalization and the development of party strength. Financing political parties, elections and corruption.
Theoretical perspective 79 languages, customs and traditions gives the country a rich cultural diversity. The second political party was the northern peoples congress npc and it. He joined the national party of nigeria npn in january 1983 and subsequently attempted to reenter politics. The political, economic and social dynamics of nigeria. The role of political parties at the local government level.
Are these heady days for nigerian political parties. These basic objectives therefore defined the operations of party politics in nigeria in that even when parties were elitist formed, they were deeply rooted in the people in terms of interest articulation. Nigeria is said to be a british creation by uniting the various nationalities into a single country today known as the federal republic of nigeria. Pages in category political parties in nigeria the following 26 pages are in this category, out of 26 total. Large pockets of nigerias population still live in poverty, without adequate access to basic services, and could benefit from more inclusive development policies. Cost of politics in nigeria westminster foundation for. Generally, nigerias political parties have been plagued by suspensions and expulsions of party members, cross carpeting particularly prior to elections and deep divisions and factions that have manifested sometimes in violent conflicts ikelegbe, 20. Section 225 3a and b as well as 225 4 forbid political parties from foreign funding of any kind. Constitutions no doubt encouraged and contributed to the emergence of. Every nigerian has the right to join and register any political party of their choice.
This handbook on promoting womens participation in political parties aims at encouraging political party leaders, men and women alike, to support the integration of gender aspects into internal political party decisionmaking processes. In the preindependence and the early post independence periods, political parties in nigeria were not ideologically based. The electoral act 2006 has introduced ceilings on contributions by individuals to political parties and on the campaign expenses by political parties and candidates alike. Nigeria has a population of 3 million, a landmass of 923,768km2, a bountiful endowment in arable land, solid minerals and petroleumgas resources. Before the elections, and based on the federal department of statistics projection of nigerias population to be 31,559,026, the political parties all agreed that there.