Political Parties and Elections in Nigeria

1. Political Parties and Elections in Nigeria

2. Introduction to Politcal Parties • Nigeria has 30 parties registered with the Independent National Election Commission (INEC). • The winner take all nature of the Nigerian political system encourages alliances among parties and the creation of a two-party system. • There have been efforts to create cross-ethnic parties. These efforts have failed. • The Electoral Act of 2002 stipulates that one must be 18 years old and a registered citizen to vote

3. Introduction to Politcal Parties • Politicians generally form political parties for the dominant purpose of contesting and winning elections rather than as vehicles for coordinating development efforts on the basis of some deep political and economic conviction-ideology. • Before political independence in 1960, real political parties existed • Northern People's Congress (NPC)-North-dominated • Action Group (AG)-South-West-dominated • National Convention of Nigerian Citizens -South-East-dominated. • Why do I call those "real" political parties? It was clear what each stood for and where clear differences existed between them beyond mere ethnic preponderance.

4. Introduction to Politcal Parties • NPC was very conservative and not so inclined towards a hurried exit of the British colonial masters. • AG was more socialist, Marxist • NCNC liberal/moderate stance, which perhaps explains its success in Southwest. • In 1960’s, splinter groups emerged within the ranks, not so much because of significant ideological differences as clashes in personal ambitions.

5. Introduction to Politcal Parties • Political parties that have emerged (and died) have not stood up to the standard of true political parties. True political parties, like an individual person, must have a recognizable personality and character (ideology). • When one talks of opposition group in a country, it goes beyond some flowery speeches and "resolutions" and "communiqués" at meetings. It has to do with well organized machinery that criticizes intelligently, praises carefully, and provides genuine alternatives in governmental management and execution of laws. There is no such alternative machinery in Nigeria today.

6. Introduction to Politcal Parties • Today, PDP is the party in power, and everyone that loses influence in PDP would want to form or join a political association and pretend to be defending democracy. Even some who very recently lost some appointments in the PDP government have turned themselves into opposition “Defenders of Democracy” • The military is still a major political force—more so than any party.

7. Part Two: 3(ish) PARTIES

8. People's Democratic Party (PDP) • Centrist party formed by a coalition of veteran politicians, including several retired generals known as the G-34, many ofwhom played prominent roles in the Second Republic (1979–83) and the aborted Third Republic (1989–93) • Won Pres elections of 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011. • Legislative control since 2003 • 12 April 2003, PDP won 54.5% of the popular vote and 223 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives, and 76 out of 109 seats in the Senate. • PDP is well represented in all regions of the country, with commanding majorities in the National Assembly as well as control of about three-quarters of the federal legislatures and state governorships. • Party in power?

9. People's Democratic Party (PDP) • Despite the fact that some PDP senior officials and office-holders are Muslims, the party draws most of its support from the predominantly Christian southern states. • Hardline Muslims accuse the PDP of being a Christian party, a charge that its many Muslim supporter s deny • In 2003, PDP surprised many observers by winning Yoruba states that were previously considered to be strongholds of the rival Alliance for Democracy. All Yoruba states (except Lagos State) saw the upset victory of PDP candidates against incumbent AD Governors. • Umaru Yar'Adua won the 2007 election for the ruling People's Democratic Party. Goodluck Jonahan (VP) took over in 2010 and won Presidential election in 2011 with 58%.

10. All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) • Northern Nigeria- conservative & Islamic appeal. • Legislative elections 2003, won: • 27.4% of the popular vote • 96 of 360 seats in the House of Representatives • 27 of 109 seats in the Senate • Strongest opposition party, controlling 7/36 states • Won gubernatorial victory in Kano state (one of the country's most populous states) • 2003 Pres candidate, Muhammadu Buhari won 32.2% of the vote. He lost again in 2007

11. Action Congress (AC) • Formed via merger of the Alliance for Democracy, the Justice Party, the Advance Congress of Democrats, and several other minor political parties in September 2006 • Cracks in the Party's alliance with ANPP • Currently, the party's most prominent elected official is governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State. • AC ran VP Atiku Abubakar (who was disqualified by the INCC and successfully contested that disqualification in the Federal High Court), who defected from the PDP, as it's presidential candidate in the 2007 presidential election.

12. All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) • 2003 Leg elections won 1.4 % of popular votes and 2 out of 360 seats in the House, no seats in Senate. • 2003 Pres election, ran ChukwuemekaOdumegwuOjukwu (of Biafran War fame) won 3.3 %

13. Presidential Election of 1999 • Ended mil rule • Registered Voters 57,938,945 • Total Votes (Voter Turnout) 30,280,052 (52.3%) • Invalid/Blank Votes  431,611 • Total Valid Votes 29,848,441

14. 1999 Candidates Obasanjo: • Former Military General; the only one to step down voluntarily (1979). • Candidate for UN Secretary General. • He retired, but was still involved in politics. Jailed in ’95 and released in ’98. • Why did he win? • Key supporters include: the Hausa-speaking north, many retired and serving military officers. • He promised that the cause of democracy would be advanced under his presidency. • Why did he lose his own home-region?

15. 1999 Candidates OluFalae: • Technocrat and a moderate. • Product of the now faded academic excellence of south-western Nigeria; he studied at Yale. • Candidate of Alliance for Democracy and All People’s Party

16. 1999 Controversies • Election rigging • More likely in the countryside than in towns • Few party agents or election monitors. • Voting started late • Olu Falae, rejected the result of the vote, accusing Mr Obasanjo's supporters of "monumental" vote-rigging.

17. Legislative Elections of 1999

18. Presidential Election of 2003 • EU determined irregularities in 11/36 States. • Police in Lagos uncovered an electoral fraud, finding 5 million false ballots. • All opposition parties refused to recognize results • Obasanjo and PDP win again

20. The Candidates of the ’03 elections • MuhammaduBuhari • Age: 64 • Military ruler, 1984-85. Deposed in a coup • Muslim from North • Poor human rights record • Seen as incorruptible • Why did he lose? • Rule in 1984-85 • PDP popularity

21. Election of 1999 Election of 2003

24. Controversies in Elections of ’03 • Numerous cases of Electoral fraud • Under-age voting • Multiple voting • Snatching ballot boxes • Falsification of results

25. 1 April 2007 Nigerian presidential election results

27. 16 April 2011 Nigerian presidential election results

28. 2011 Presidential Election