Let Us Imbibe IBB’s Idea

Inasmuch as  a demo
cratic system of governance demands for freedom of expression, assembly and association as enshrined in sections 39 and 40 of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), caution needs to be exercised in terms of formation and/or establishment of political parties which may  either negatively or positively affect national  development. Frankly speaking, multiple political  parties would not play effective role in the face of human and infrastructural development.
Obviously, most of the political organizations were created by power drunk, greedy and egocentric political stalwarts to defraud the economy of the nation to the detriment of the less-privilege in  the society. It would be a wise effort to take a cue from pre-independence  era and during the abortive Third Republic when two-party system was operational.
In 1953, two political parties were on ground, that is National Council of Nigeria and Cameroons (alias NCNC), championed by the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa) who contested on that platform and the Action Group (AG) led by late  Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was  out to protect the interest of the Western Region of Nigeria. During the First Republic i.e. from 1960 to 1966, 21 political parties were established, Borno Youth  Movement  (BYM); Democratic Party of Nigeria and Cameroon (DPNC); Dynamic Party (DP); Niger Delta Congress (NDC); Republican Party (PR), Zamfara Cameroon  Party (ZCP), Northern Progressive Front (NPF), Action Group (AG), Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), just to mention but few.
Between 1964 and 1979 when the Second Republic came on board, six political parties were formed and registered to campaign for elections. The parties were: National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) Greater Nigerian People’s Party (GNPP), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Nigeria Advance Party (NAP) and People’s  Redemption Party (PRP).
Amongst these lots, it was only NPN that produced the President of the nation in the person of Alhaji Shehu Shagari.  Five political parties emerged during the Third Republic under a military junta which were Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM), United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), National Conscience Party (Party (NCP), etc.
Then between 1985 and 1993, General  Ibrahim  Badamosi Babangida (rtd) became innovative as he restructured the political organizations into two-party system. The two parties were Northern Republican  Convention (NRC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) respectively. Alhaji Bashir Tofa was the presidential candidate of the NRC while   Late Moshood M.K.O. Abiola took the  mantle of SDP. This was a welcome development in the political world. The Presidential elections went on smoothly and successfully on June 12,1993 which was later annulled by IBB because NRC candidate did not succeed as purported.  Between  1996 and 1998 six  political parties were also formed viz: Committee of National Consensus (CNC); Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN), Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM), National  Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN), Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and Justice Party (JP).
In preparation for a new dawn of democratic governance  come1999, another 23 political parties were formed but later pruned to only six,  they were:  People Democratic Party (PDP), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Progressive  Grand Alliance (APGA), All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and All Progressive Congress (APC).
According to Professor  Elo Amucheazi in his convocation lecture entitled  the problem  of party politics in Nigeria at the 25th Convocation Ceremony of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, on 27th April, 2013, most of the political  parties were ethnically and regionally focused and not for the general interest of the entire citizenry.
He said ACN was southwest political  party which identified with the Yoruba  ethnic group. APGA identified with the Igbo enclave, ANPP and CPC are identified more with the Moslems of Hausa/Fulani and Shuwa Arabs Kanuri Of  Northwestern and Northereastern parts of Nigeria. That  the PDP which is  fairly widespread, still has its identity with  South-South, South-East, North Central  and non-Hausa /Fulani population of Northwest.
Even the United States of America  that operate a parliamentary system of government does not have multiple political parties. Although  Babangida’s two-political party system  in 1993 failed, the initiative, however, was laudable.
The truth is that there are too many  political parties in Nigeria. You can imagine  how this affects the economy. No wonder greater percentage of Nigerians are working as elephants but eat like ants in a country blessed with many natural resources.
Let us emulate General Babangida’s two-party system. It is a laudable initiative.
If IBB’s idea is imbibed by the present administration,  it will save Nigerians from the current economic meltdown and achieve the aims and objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for adequate and appropriate national development.
I call on the National Assembly to pass a legislation pegging the number of political  parties to  only two  or even to a maximum of three. If this is not done, time shall come  when every association would metamorphose  into a political party. This will never serve our interest as a nation operate like cult groups.
Ominyanwa is a public affairs analyst

Goddey Ominyanwa