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By Oscar Okhifo, Abuja
Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has disclosed that the Alliance for Democracy (AD) failed to satisfy the registration requirements for political parties ahead of Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999 but was admitted after his administration bent the rules to foster inclusiveness and national unity.
The former military leader made the disclosure in his autobiography, Call of Duty, where he recounted how his administration adjusted the political party registration guidelines to accommodate the AD as part of efforts to ensure an inclusive transition to democratic rule and prevent the political marginalisation of the South-West.
He explained that the transition programme prescribed stringent conditions for political parties seeking registration, including a national spread, operational offices across the federation and compliance with other constitutional and legal requirements designed to produce truly national parties.
According to Abdulsalami, only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Peoples Party (APP) fully met the stipulated conditions after the screening exercise, while the AD, whose support base was largely confined to the South-West, fell short of the requirements for registration.
“As projected, the AD eventually didn’t meet the criteria for the registration of political parties. We tinkered with the rules and said any party that came third would be registered.
That was how AD scaled through,” he wrote.
Abdulsalami explained that the decision was informed by the need to promote inclusiveness and prevent feelings of political alienation in the South-West, which had been at the centre of the agitation for the validation of the June 12 election believed to have been won by the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola.
“We did not want to create a system in which the South-West would feel marginalised. Whatever decision we took was for the peace and progress of the country. If tinkering with the rule we made ourselves would give respite to Nigerians, why not?” he stated.
The former Head of State maintained that the regulations guiding the transition programme were not immutable and could be adjusted when circumstances demanded in order to foster justice, equity and national cohesion.
“The rules were made by humans and for humans. The idea was to give peace a chance and to ensure that there was equity and justice,” he added.
Nigeria returned to civilian rule on May 29, 1999, marking the end of prolonged military rule, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Peoples Party (APP) and Alliance for Democracy (AD) emerging as the three political platforms that participated in the historic transition elections.