Nigerias fourth republicdemocratic or civil rule enyi john egbe, phd senior lecturer department of political science, benue state university, makurdi nigeria abstract this paper assesses practice of democratic governance in the present republic. This right was embodied in popular mandates derived from periodic elections. Political parties and the quest for democratic sustenance in. Political parties in the second republic of nigeria oldnaija. Doc 6 political parties and intra party conflict in nigeria. On 1, october 1960, nigeria, after several years of british colonial rule, became an independent nation. It is on this basis, that this paper examines political parties and opposition politics in nigeria with specific focus on the fourth republic. The history of political parties boundless political science. History of political parties in nigeria will never be complete if mention is not made of the various political bigwigs in the history of this country. School of politics and international studies university of leeds, united kingdom. Apart from the 2003 presidential election, election rigging in nigeria a recurring decimal and it was as old as the polity itself. 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.
Political communications in colonial nigeria media ownership in colonial nigeria was dominated by missionaries, colonial administrators, nationalists, political parties, politicians and private foreign organizations. Political parties in nigeria, how may political parties do we have in nigeria, is pdp is a well known political party in nigeria, which party is currently ruling the nation. This act alters the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria, 1999 to provide the independent national electoral commission with sufficient time to conduct byeelections and provide grounds for. Nnamdi azikwe ncnc chief obafemi awolowo ag they campaigned vigorously across the length and breadth of nigeria. Ajisebiyawo, adekunle, intraparty politics and democracy sustenance in nigerias fourth republic november 30, 2015. Since 1999, nigeria has being enjoying uninterrupted democracy.
The result of undemocratic conduct of political parties such as candidates imposition, unclear manifestoes as revealed in this paper, gave rise to assassination that portrayed nigeria as one of the most risky nation in the world. Pdf peoples democratic party in the fourth republic of nigeria. The fourth republic of france existed from 19461958 under the fourth republican constitution. The paper further examined the flaws in the 2006 electoral act.
I ntra party conflict is one of the features of party politics. But under the fledgling fourth republic, nigeria has for the first time in its postindependence experience been able to hold three consecutive elections at regular intervals 1999, 2003. It argues that the existence of political parties has not meant political representation in nigeria. Pdf their nature and functions make political parties central to democratic governance. Apr 08, 2014 failure of political parties in the second republic in nigeria. It was in many ways a revival of the second republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple ministries which made policy planning difficult citation needed. The fourth party system lasted from about 1896 to 1932, and was dominated by the republican party. Elections during the first republic nigerias political independence was ushered in by the 12 december 1959. I examine the parody of ipd in nigeria, exemplified in faulty processes employed in the nomination of political party electoral. Since the emergency of the fourth republic, election and democratic practice in nigeria has been more of a force than a serious fact. The nigerian electoral process in perspective elections under colonial rule before independence in 1960, nigeria, which existed as an amalgamation of the. Omodia department of political science and public administration, adekunle ajasin university, akungba akogo ondo state, nigeria abstract the paper unfolds the dysfunctional operation of political parties in the nigerian fourth republic as. As a conceptual paper, the methodology is descriptive. Elections and governance in nigerias fourth republic.
Peoples democratic party in the fourth republic of nigeria. However, the history of nigeria s democratic experiments demonstrates that elections and electoral politics have generated so. Political parties were formed peoples democratic party pdp, all nigeria peoples party anpp. However, it was in the second republic that regionalism was played down a bit. The political leaders who led the campaigns on behalf of the threedominant regional and ethnicbased political parties were. Political parties in ghana take a look at the comprehensive. Bibliography includes bibliographical references p. The second republic was the republican government of nigeria between 1979 and 1983 governed by the second republican constitution. The second important factor was the decision to create in october 1989 two parties wholly run and financed by the state. Political participation and gender inequality in nigerian fourth republic osimen goddy uwa1, anegbode e. Election rigging and the problems of electoral act in nigeria.
The fourth republic in perspective majekodunmi, aderonke department of political science, faculty of social science, university of lagos, akokayaba, nigeria abstract nigerias present democratization, which culminated in the countrys fourth republic on may 29, 1999, started amidst great hope and. Apr 20, 2018 in nigeria, multiparty system and political development are not really in good relationship like it is meant to be, because multi parties in nigeria especially in fourth republic are all nonideological type and it is not of development in nigeria political system okpata. Ethnic politics and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Democracy and governance in nigerias fourth republic. Political parties are known as a platform for recruitment of political leaders and the organisation of parliament and government, both in advanced and developing democracies. This study examines, investigates, and surveys opinion of nigerians on some of the factors that influence party and party system development in nigeria, using data elicited from the three senatorial districts of edo state, nigeria. During the colonial period, the press served as a medium of sustained public debate and political protest, an uncompromising. 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 institutionalization and the development of party strength. Political parties and opposition politics in nigerias. Analysing the democracy and democratic practise in nigeria. An xray of intergovernmental relation conflicts and. Democratic values and practices are crucial for democratic institutionalization and the development of party strength.
Leadership and political parties crisis in nigerias fourth republic parties. The paper notes that godfatherism and political conflicts, which have become a cultural element in nigerias politics, are certainly problematic to the practice of democracy. The fourth republic in perspective majekodunmi, aderonke department of political science, faculty of social science, university of lagos, akokayaba, nigeria abstract nigerias present democratization, which culminated in the countrys fourth republic on may. It was observed that election riggingcorruption was not a new phenomenon in the nigerian body politic. Aside discussing the political parties in nigeria, this write up will equally discuss about the political history of nigeria. List of all political parties in nigeria currently updated listed. Historical development of political parties in nigeria. Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. Nigeria became a federal republic, modelling its federal. The country gained independence from the british government on 1 october 1960, and became a. Democracy and governance in nigerias fourth republic pp.
State governors in the nigerian third republic and nigerian presidential election, 1993. Based on the enormous work which pressure groups do in every political system in especially in the policy process and the ensuing argument over their usefulness, this work has studies pressure groups in nigeria in the fourth republic to ascertain the role they have played in. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1999 arrangement of sections chapter i general provisions part i federal republic of nigeria 1. Following the assassination of nigerian military head of state, general murtala mohammed in 1976, his successor general olusegun obasanjo.
A period in american political history from about 1854 to the mid1890s that featured profound developments in issues of nationalism, modernization, and race. History of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder. Abdulsalami abubarkar retd ushered in the fourth republic in 1999 with the election of olusegun obasanjo as president of nigeria. This objective is important because understanding the rise and fall of pdp in nigeria, arguably. The presidential system of government practiced in the second republic of nigeria 19791983 favored the existence of a multiparty system. A study of pdp and acn since nigeria transited to democracy in 1999, the huge expectations of the nigerian people for dividends of democracy have been quashed due to crisis and instability in the leading political parties. 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. The first set of political parties to be formed in nigeria was formed. One, it examines the viability of political opposition in nigerias fourth republic. Original contribution political parties and party politics in. Sustainable democracy in nigeria the fourth republic maduekwe vincent chucks, ojukwu uche grace and agbata ifeanyi. Electoral politics in the fourth republic of nigerias.
To participate in the third republic, each prospective politician needed a clearance certificate from the federal electoral commission. Political parties institutionalisation and democratic consolidation. Leadership and political parties crisis in nigerias. List of all political parties in nigeria 2020 currently.
Jul 22, 2010 already in the colonial era, nigeria proved unable to organize credible elections acceptable to all democratic players, particularly the opposition parties. Pdf on mar 1, 2009, okechukwu ikeanyibe and others published the irony of one party state in a multiparty system. The fourth republic in perspective musa abutudu abstract in 1999, political parties reclaimed the right to govern in nigeria. A study of political parties in nigeria s fourth republic 19992009 find. F department of political science, chukwuemeka odumegwu ojukwu university, igbariam campus abstract. Political party financing and corruption in nigeriaa s fourth. The nigerian state and politics in the fourth republic codesria. While it is not realistic to imply that nigeria needs the same amount of time as. Nigerias fourth republic and the challenge of a faltering.
The fourth republic 1992 to present has recorded about 24 registered political parties in ghana, despite the fact that the country has only two dominant parties the national democratic congress and the new patriotic party since the introduction of constitutional democracy as changes within the government has continued to rotate between these two dominant political parties. Pdf in democratization of any nation political parties play a very critical role. The then electoral commission of nigeria, the federal electoral commission fedeco, registered five political parties out of about 52 parties that showed up for the 1979 general elections which was to usher in the. Political parties and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Nigerias fourth republic, which has witnessed four general elections 1999, 2003, 2007, and. How has political parties faired in the consolidation of the nigerias fourth republic. This act alters the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria, 1999 to provide the independent national electoral commission with sufficient time to conduct byeelections and provide grounds for deregistration of. Elections and democratic transition in nigeria under the. Admittedly, nigeria registered and voted at the elections that brought the ruling class into power, the candidate presented to them for selection were chosen not by them but by the political elites. An election was held between five political parties but alhaji shehu shagari of the national party of nigeria npn won the 1979 election. The parties traded charges of hooliganism at each other. This post is about the governmental and political history of nigeria. Nigeria is a federal republic comprises of 36 states as well as the fct.
And it was because the 1979 constitution stipulated that for a political party to be registered, it must be national in outlook. The period between this date and january 15, 1966, when the first military coup detat took place, is generally referred to as the first republic, although the country only became a republic on october 1, 1963. The second nigerian republic was a brief formation of the nigerian state which succeeded the military governments formed after the overthrow of first republic. This increased the total number of political parties to 28 and they all participated in the 2003 general elections. This paper argues that nigerias fourth republic political parties have failed to contribute fundamentally to the countrys democracy.
The african ejournals project has digitized full text of. Jan 10, 2016 political history of nigeria since independence 1960 till date introduction by the time nigeria gained its independence, it was entering a period of rapid social and economic change, and many people were quite optimistic about its future. Nigeria is a country of 923,768 square kilometres 356,669 sq mi, bound to the west by benin republic, to the north by the niger and chad republic, east by the republic of cameroon, and south by the gulf of guinea. Ap comparative government and politics nigeria briefing paper. This paper will focus on opposition political parties in nigeria right from the first republic. History and development of political parties in nigeria. Elections and democratic survival in the fourth republic of. The paper unfolds the dysfunctional operation of political parties in the nigerian fourth republic as. It was characterized by a weak and decentralized government. Since independence in nigeria, the concept of internal democracy has been relegated to the background through the activities of political parties from the first republic and the germane issue has become contending in the. Internal party democracy, party candidature, and democratic. However, the history of nigerias democratic experiments demonstrates that elections and electoral politics have generated so. Political parties in nigeria are institutions set up for healthy competition among those vying for particular government offices in the land and there is a need to know and understand how nigerian politics and political parties have evolved by looking into the history of political parties in nigeria. This paper examines the activities of political parties in nigeria.
This is not unconnected with the divergence nature of men that makes them to adopt different approaches in an attempt to achieve the same goal. The game theory and the politics of crosscarpeting in nigeria s fourth. 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. Nature, structure, and ideology aliyu mukhtar katsina1 abstract their nature and functions make political parties central to democratic governance especially in the new democracies of africa that face the challenge of building strong and enduring democratic institutions. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1999. Contested elections and political turbulence in the western region ended nigeria s first republic in 1966 with the overthrow. Nigerias fourth republic as a reference point, this paper examines the effects that these practices have on the future of democracy in nigeria. The climax of the analysis is the identified challenges plaguing democratic consolidation since the commencement of the fourth republic i. Despite the appreciation that only credible election can consolidate and sustain nigerias nascent democracy, its electoral process often result to confrontations that continue to threaten the political stability, peace and the very existence of the nation. Political parties, elections and governance in nigeria. Likewise, mexico became independent from spain well over a century ago, giving the country more time to institutionalize its political system and evolve toward a more democratic order. This newly formed country would go on to become a republic three years down the line on 1, october, 1963.
A study of political parties in nigerias fourth republic 19992009 find. Issues, problems and prospects in olurode, lai and anifowoshe, remi eds. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. The game theory and the politics of crosscarpeting in nigerias fourth. The political and governmental history of nigeria nigerian. Sustenance in nigerias fourth republic ghazali shafie.
The third republic was the planned republican government of nigeria in 1993 which was to be governed by the third republican constitution. The fourth republic is the current republican government of nigeria. Received 21st september, 20, accepted 14th march, 2014, published march 2014 intergovernmental relation is a necessary political tool for mutual intertwines among the levels of. Pdf the irony of one party state in a multiparty system. This article investigates the major reasons accounting for the failure of internal party democracy ipd in nigerias fourth republic, despite extensive constitutional and other legal provisions to guarantee it. Political parties were largely formed along ethnic lines, while the political. Intraparty politics and democracy sustenance in nigerias.
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