Assistant Editor, Dapo Falade, looks into how some of the major political parties came into being, following the commencement of political activities that heralded the ongoing Fourth Republic.WITH the demise of the late despot, General Sani Abacha, in June, 1998, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who took over the reins of governance, was immediately saddled with the responsibility of midwiving the nation's fourth attempt at democratic rule. Following the lifting of ban on political activities by the Abubakar military regime, the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released a guideline which allowed for the formation of political parties to participate in the electoral process. At the end, only three of the associations that applied were registered as political parties. Thus, came into existence were the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Peoples Party (APP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD).Peoples Democratic PartyFounded in 1998, the PDP, with its headquarters at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, is unarguably the major player in the polity with its array of followership across the country. It came into being under the pioneering chairmanship of Chief Solomon Lar. Operating on the ideological plane of economic liberalism and social conservatism, the policies of the party can be said to tilt generally towards the right wing of the political spectrum. With its initial constitution said to have been written by the late Chief Bola Ige, the party has a neoliberal stance in its economic policies and maintains a conservative stance on certain social issues, such as same sex relations and adopted a more leftist stance towards poverty and welfare.Signaling its emergence as the biggest player in the polity, the PDP won in 28 states of the federation in the 1999 elections, while it produced its candidate, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as Nigeria's second civilian president. The party went ahead to consolidate its hold on the polity as Obasanjo was not only returned as the nation's president, but the PDP also succeeded in encroaching on the AD domain, winning five out of the six states in the South-West in the 2003 elections. It also won 54.5 per cent of the total votes in the legislative election, winning 223 out of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives and 76 out of 109 seats in the Senate. The party also emerged victorious in the 2007 elections, albeit controversially, winning majority of the elective offices in the land.All People's Party The All People's Party (APP) is a former Nigerian political party, which was formed in late 1998 during the transition from military to civilian rule midwived by General Abubakar. The party was formed by a coalition of associations that received considerable support under the regime of the late General Abacha. Most of the party's support came from the Middle Belt region and some parts of the North. The late Chief Ige was said to have written the constitution of the party.With the outcome of the gubernatorial election in January 1999 in which the PDP emerged as the dominant political party, the APP formed a coalition with the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to contest the presidential election of that year. Subsequently, Chief Olu Falae of the AD was chosen as the coalition's presidential candidate, while Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi of the APP was chosen as his running mate. The coalition notwithstanding, the PDP went ahead to win the presidential election. But the APP won 20 out of 109 seats in the Senate and 68 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives. Thereafter, the APP suffered a factional split and contested the 2003 general election as the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP).Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria)The Alliance for Democracy (AD) was a progressive opposition political party in Nigeria. It was formed on 9 September, 1998 with Bola Ige playing a major role in the writing of its constitution. Its emergence was enmeshed in a sort of controversy as it did not meet the rules and regulations guiding the formation of political parties. While it did not meet the required geographical spread, the then Chief of General Staff, Admiral Mike Akhigbe, admitted that there was a cause to bend the rules to accommodate the party in the unfolding political event, given the prevailing tensed situation in the South-West, engendered by the spate of events that followed the criminal annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the death, in detention, of the acclaimed winner of the election, Chief MKO Abiola on 8 July, 1998.The controversial circumstances of its formation notwithstanding, the AD eventually emerged the dominant party in the South-West, winning the six states in the zone in the 1999 elections. At the 12 April, 2003 legislative election, the party won 8.8 per cent of the popular vote and 34 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives and six out of the 109 seats in the Senate. It nevertheless, lost all the governorship seats in the South-West, except Lagos State, in the 2003 elections.However, the party became embroiled in a leadership tussle between Senator Mojisola Akinfenwa and Chief Bisi Akande, which lingered until September, 2006 when the Bisi Akande faction merged with other opposition parties to form the then Action Congress (AC), which later metamorphosed into the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The party has not been able to find its feet since then.All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP)ANPP, coming out from the ashes of the APP, was formed in 1999 as a conservative political party. The party is a household name in the extreme northern part of the country, probably due to its mass appeal. Its biggest achievement in the 2003 election was its gubernatorial victory in Kano State where its candidate, former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, defeated the then ruling PDP governor, Dr Rabiu Kwakwanso, to take control of one of the country's most populous state. In that year's election, the ANPP presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, won 32.2 per cent of the total votes, coming second after the eventual winner, Obasanjo of the PDP. Buhari, who was the ANPP candidate in the 2007 elections, also came second behind the eventual winner of the presidential election, the late Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua of the PDP.The Gani Fawehinmi revolutionThe late fiery Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, changed the existing political arrangement, as he won a legal battle which led to the liberalisation of the political space. The then Federal Government, in alignment with the INEC, had wanted to restrict party formation by promulgating a law to register political parties. Gani however went to court and got the judgment that declared the law void and unconstitutional. This step led to the formation of many other political parties and restored the rightof the people to associate freely and form political party of their interest. His National Conscience Party (NCP), which was formed in 1994, became registered in 2003 and the late lawyer contested the 2003 presidential election.Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)Founded in September, 2006, the ACN is a child of intrigues that came into being as a result of a controversial merger with some political parties, including the AD, the Justice Party, the Advance Congress of Democrats (ACD) and some other minor political parties. Ostensibly formed to challenge the growing 'menace' of the PDP which was fast turning the country into a one-party state, the party, formerly known as the Action Congress (AC), has a very strong presence in the South-West. On 12 May, 2006, the provisional officers of the party were replaced at its Kaduna convention with Bisi Akande succeeding Hassan M. Zurmi as the national chairman, while Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu replaced Bunmi Omoseyindemi as the national secretary.Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)The CPC has its roots in The Buhari Organisation (TBO) which was formed by General Buhari and his associates. It became the 63rd and the last registered political party in Nigeria following a friction between Buhari and some elements in the ANPP. In the aftermath of the 2007 elections, while Buhari instituted a court case against the election of Yar'Adua as President, the ANPP, on which platform he contested the election, chose to align with the PDP-led Government of National Unity (GNU), thus indicating its lack of full support for its candidate. Buhari thus decided to find a new platform to realise his presidential ambition.The party received an official approval and registration from INEC on 28 December 2009, while Buhari formally left the ANPP and joined the CPC, March, 2010. He was reported to have said that he supported foundation of the CPC 'as a solution to the debilitating, ethical and ideological conflicts in my former party, the ANPP.'Progressive Peoples Alliance PPA is a political party formed by the former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, and some of his associates who became disenchanted with the politics of the PDP. The party won gubernatorial elections in 2003 and 2007 in Abia State. The party also won the governorship election in 2007 in Imo State. In the 21 April 2007 National Assembly election, the party won three out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives and one out of 109 seats in the Senate.Labour PartyThe Labour Party is a socialist/social democratic political party formed in 2002 as the Party for Social Democracy by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), led by Sylvester Ejiofor. In the 21 April, 2007 National Assembly election, the party won one out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives and no seat in the Senate. Its standard-bearer in Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, emerged the state governor after winning a judicial challenge. With nearly a non-existent political structure of the party leadership, he once had a good relationship with the ACN. Former deputy governor of Lagos State, Mr Femi Pedro, defected from the AC while in office in protest against the favouring of the candidates of the then Governor Bola Tinubu, and ran as the Labour Party candidate in the gubernatorial elections of 2007. He however lost the election to current governor Babatunde Fashola.All Progressives Grand AllianceThe APGA was founded in 2003 and contested the elections of that year. It won two out of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives, while its presidential candidate, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, won 3.3 per cent of the total votes cast.
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