Nigeria has had an extremely troubled political history, with instability, intrigue, factionalism, ethnic rivalry and bloody coups the order of the day. (See History). The most disturbing aspect of this history has been the recourse to military dictatorship as a way out of the political chaos that seems endemic to Nigeria.

All People's Party or APP [Alhaji Yusuf ALI]; Alliance for Democracy or AD [contested between Yusuf MAMMAN and Alhasi Adamu ABDULKADIR]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Barnabas GEMADE]