Question

Difficulty: MediumThird Republic Transition and June 12 Presidential Election

In an effort to prevent regional and ethnic polarization during Nigeria's Third Republic transition program, the military administration banned all independent political associations and established a state-mandated two-party framework. Which two political parties were officially created by decree to contest all elections in this era?

  1. Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC)Answer
  2. B
    National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN)
  3. C
    People's Democratic Party (PDP) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)
  4. D
    Northern People's Congress (NPC) and National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC)

Answer

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC) were the two state-created political parties during the Third Republic transition.
During the transition to the Third Republic, the Babangida administration rejected all private political associations that applied for registration. Instead, the government promulgated a decree establishing two official political parties: the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC), intended to bridge ethnic and regional divides.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the political context described in the stem.
The question specifies the Third Republic transition program under General Ibrahim Babangida's military regime.
Understanding the specific historical era isolates the correct party structure from other constitutional republics.
2
Analyze the state-mandated political party framework of the Third Republic.
After disqualifying private political associations in 1989, the regime established two official parties by decree: the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC).
The military administration sought to create a grassroots two-party system ideologically defined as 'a little to the left' (SDP) and 'a little to the right' (NRC).

Key Concept

Third Republic State-Decreed Two-Party System (SDP and NRC)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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