Nigerian Political Parties and the Federal Character
Author(s)
Okpu, Ugbana
Abstract
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous and ethnically diverse country, experienced a military coup at the end of 1983. A cycle of civilian rule from 1960-66, military rule from 1966-79, then a return to civilian authority through the constitution of 1979, is once again in uncertain motion. Considers Nigeria’s political party development and electoral process since 1944, and the ethnic factor in recent social science theory applied to Africa and especially to Nigeria’s extra-electoral political practice over the past three decades. The goals of stability, national unity, and integration have not been attained; the country has instead been polarized into two hostile camps under the Progressive Parties’ Alliance (PPA) and the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) with its controversial “Zoning System.”
