Theory question 108
Political Parties and Party Systems(a) List three political parties and their leaders who contested the 1979 presidential elections in Nigeria.
(b) Highlight three failures of political parties in Nigeria since independence.
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(a) Any three: National Party of Nigeria (NPN) – Shehu Shagari; Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) – Obafemi Awolowo; Nigerian People's Party (NPP) – Nnamdi Azikiwe; Great Nigeria People's Party (GNPP) – Waziri Ibrahim; People's Redemption Party (PRP) – Aminu Kano.
(b) Any three: ethnic/regional bias instead of national outlook; election rigging and violence; lack of internal democracy and imposition of candidates; corruption and money politics; no clear ideology; failure to deliver campaign promises; frequent defections (carpet crossing); intolerance of opposition, contributing to military take-overs.
Pair each party with its candidate in (a).