Brinkmanship in Nigeria: The Federal Elections of 1964–65
| DOI | 10.1177/002070206502000203 |
| Published date | 01 June 1965 |
| Date | 01 June 1965 |
| Author | Douglas G. Anglin |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Brinkmanship
in
Nigeria:
The
Federal
Elections
of
1964-65
Douglas
G.
Anglin*
Last
New
Year's
Day,
the
Federation
of
Nigeria
appeared
on
the
point
of
constitutional
chaos
and national
disintegration.
The
country's
first
federal
election
since
Independence
had
ended
disastrously.
On
the
eve
of
the
poll,
the
major
alliance
of
south-
ern
parties,
backed by
the
President
and
half
the
members
of
the
Federal
Electoral
Commission,
demanded
a
postponement
of
the
voting
as
the
only
way
to
bring about
a
free
and
fair
ex-
pression
of
opinion. When
this
request
was
refused,
the southern
politicians
unwisely
decided
to
boycott
the
election,
and
even
sabotage
it.
The
Eastern
Region
also
talked
dangerously
of seces-
sion.
Nevertheless
the
Northern
Peoples
Congress
and
its
allies
still
managed
to
win
a
majority
of
seats.
The
President,
now
in
open
disagreement with
the
Prime
Minister,
then
threatened
to
resign
in
protest
rather
than
carry
out
his
constitutional
duty
to
invite
the
NPC
federal
leader
to
form
a
government.
At
this
point,
Nigeria
tottered
perilously
on
the
brink
of
disintegration
and
bloodshed.
In
the
emotionally-charged
atmosphere
that
pre-
vailed,
one
unfortunate
incident-a
particularly
ugly
street
clash,
the
personal
humiliation
of
a
prominent
politician,
or
an
infla-
matory
and
intransigent
appeal
from
one
of
the
parties-might
easily
have
rendered
the situation
beyond
control. Yet,
having
peered over
the
precipice,
Nigeria's
leaders
pulled
back
at
what
seemed
the
last
possible
moment,
and
the
unity
of
the
country
was
preserved.
This
article attempts
to
analyze
the
underlying
causes
of
this
crisis
of
conscience,
to
determine
what
actually
happened
during
the
twelve
troubled
days
(December
24th
to
January
4th),
and
to
assess
the
significance
of
these
events
for
the
future
stability,
freedom
and
progress
of
the
Federation.
It
is
also
hoped
that
Nigeria's
traumatic
experience
might
afford
a
*School
of
International
Affairs,
Carleton
University,
Ottawa.
The
author
spent
the
year
1962-63
in
Nigeria and
visited
the
country
again
in
June
1964.
174
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
warning
to
Canadian
politicians
of
all
parties
who
appear
dan-
gerously
oblivious
of
the
awful
consequences of
their
actions and
inaction.
I
Nigerian
political
parties
reflect
the
federal
and
ethnic
char-
acter
of
the
country.
It
is
a
multi-party
system
which,
despite
determined
efforts
to
destroy
it,
seems likely to
persist.
At
the
same
time,
none
of
the
parties
is
"national"
in
any
real
sense
of
the
word.
Each
is
regionally
and
even
tribally
centred:
the
Northern
Peoples
Congress (NPC)
among
the
Hausa-Fulani
of
the
North,
the
National
Convention
of
Nigerian
Citizens
(NC-
NC)
among
the
Ibos
of
the
East
and
Mid-West,
and
the
Nigerian
National
Democratic
Party
(NNDP)
and
the
Action
Group
(AG) in
Yoruba West. The
most
striking
evidence
of
this
re-
gional
orientation
is
the
fact
that
the
national
leaders
of
three
of
the
parties are
regional
premiers,
and
the
fourth
is
leader
of
the
opposition
in
the
Western House
of Assembly.
Moreover,
no
federal cabinet
has
ever
included
the
leader
of
any
party.
The
ethnic
basis
of
Nigerian
parties
is
the
clue
to
their
strength
and
their
weakness.
On
the
one
hand,
it
ensures
their
survival
on
their
home
territory.
Yet,
by
the
same
token,
it
makes
it
virtually
impossible
for them
to
make any
serious
inroads
into
the
political
empires
of
opponents.
At
one
time
it
was
possible
for
parties
to
broaden
their
appeal
somewhat
by
championing
the
cause
of
disgruntled minorities
in
other
regions,
but
this
is
no
longer proving
profitable.
With
each
federal and
regional
election,
the
trend
towards
single
party
domination
in
each
region
(except
to
some
extent
in
the
West)
is
accentuated,
while
politics
at
the
national
level
increasingly
takes
the
form
of
shifting
party
alliances
and
inter-tribal
deals.
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES,
1960-64
Opening
Dissolution
(January
1960)
(December
1964)
GOVERNMENT
NPC
(and
allies)
...........................
148
178
NCNC
(including NEPU)
..................
89 83
NNDP
(est.
1964)
..............................
-
26
OPPOSITION
AG
(including
UMBC)
...........................
75 19
312
306
To continue reading
Request your trial