Volume 6, Number 2

Party Politics and the Fall of the Second Republic in Nigeria: A Reappraisal

  Authors

Muhammad A. Bello¹ and Babayo Sule², ¹Gombe State University, Nigeria, ²Federal University of Kashere Gombe, Nigeria

  Abstract

Against the usual narratives which claim that ethnicity, regionalism and religion were sole players in the fall of the Nigeria’s Second Republic, the paper provides a new perspective on the dynamics that led to the fall of the Second Republic. In other words, the thrust of the paper is that the major cause of the crises in most States and the Centre during the Second Republic was unhealthy party politics rather than religious, regional or ethnic variations in Nigeria. The ugly inter and intra party politics experienced in 1979-1983 were the major factors that led to the fall of the Second Republic in Nigeria. The article stresses the need to draw better policies and political manifestos that will address the problems facing Nigeria’s party politics, which is an essential feature of democracy. The study offer useful information to researchers who are interested in the history of party politics. Its interrogation of the misapplication of party politics in Nigeria, for example, will enable policy makers and politicians to comprehend the reasons why the Second Republic in Nigeria failed.

  Keywords

Party Politics, Political Party, Second Republic, Crises.