Abbas Yushau Yusuf
As Nigeria is set to celebrate 60th anniversary from the clutches of colonial masters, the pre-Independence political parties started emerging and regurgitate then political scene.
These parties and their leaders are instrumental to constitutional negotiations that give Nigeria Independence on 1st October 1960.
Prominent Nigerian Pre-Independence parties are cultural organizations of Nigeria’s major ethnic nationalities that change into political parties.
That was why the root of their formation was seen as ethnic in nature than nationalistic, hence laying the foundation of ethnic chauvinism and sectionalism in Nigerian politics.
Apart from the first political party formed by late Herbert Samuel Heelas Macaulay in 1922, other dominant parties like the Action Group AG of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Northern People’s Congress led by Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardaunan Sokoto have their roots from the regions they were set up.
A Yoruba socio-cultural organization, The Egbe Omo Oduduwa was the Yoruba socio-cultural organization that formed the Action Group, the party that has widespread acceptance in the old Western Region.
The Jamiyyar Mutanan Arewa was another identity group of the people of Northern Nigeria that was transformed into a political party which is called the NPC, Northern People’s congress.
But Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the leader of the east formed the NCNC, National Council of Nigeria, and Cameroons but the party was later changed into the National Council of Nigerian Citizens.
The dominant regional parties did not go scot-free without opposition from within, Northern Elements Progressive Union NEPU was also formed on August 8 1950 by prominent Northern politicians.
NEPU gave a serious headache to the ruling northern peoples’ congress, the party controlling the federal government which had a strong alliance with Zik’s NCNC.
In the Western Region Chief Obafemi Awolowo did not also go scot-free, his political godson whom he installed as premier of the western region Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola formed the Nigerian National Democratic Party NNDP.
For Akintola to retain his seat as Premier of the Western Region in the 1964 general elections he has no option than to team up Northern people’s congress and formed the Nigerian National Alliance, the NNA swept elections in the old Western region.
Apart from Northern Elements Progressive Union as the main opposition party in the Northern region, another opposition party led by Joseph Sarwuan Tarka, the United Middle Belt Congress, UMBC was formed to checkmate the alleged dominance of the Northern People’s Congress in the Old Western Region.
These are some set of the pre –Independence and post-Independence political parties of Nigeria.
But before the military takeover of January 15, 1966, Nigeria had 81 political parties including KPP, Kano Peoples Party.
