Barrister Fabian Awhen
Nigeria’s chequered democratic history has journeyed through various turbulent experiences from the inception of political independence in the country, that is from the republican era
And one of the most trying times for the nation’s democratic experiment has always been the moment of transition.
In other words, beyond the mix of hope and despair which used to precede any election in the country, there have always been signals in the air about the sensitive nature of Nigeria’s transition programmes.
Thus, a critical survey of Nigeria’s history of democratic transition has revealed that the moment is a trying period for the citizenry
At such times, tension is usually high just as emotion is on the rise while the atmosphere is always beclouded by a fog of uncertainty as was the case in the last transition exercise which today places Nigeria in the phase of stable democracy.
Accordingly, drawing from the experience of the First Republic, it is now history that preparations for the 1964 general elections were marred by tension and intimidation of political opponents.
The aftermath of the rigging was violence in the West which led to the breakdown of law and order and the eventual collapse of the First Republic.
The Second Republic was not so different from the First Republic except that there was no declaration of a state of emergency as was the case in the West during the First Republic.
However, towards the time of the transition to the second term in 1983, the unhealthy climate in the heat of the preparations for the 1983 general elections showed that things were no longer at ease.
Thus, attacks and counter-attacks became the order of the day, particularly in terms of unhealthy rivalry among the major political parties.
In fact, the unsettling atmosphere and the uncontrollable violence that accompanied the 1983 general elections later gave rise to a coup d’etat on New Year’s Eve of December 1983.
The transition programme of the Third Republic followed the same trend.
The forces that had always battled Nigeria’s transition exercise ultimately made it the worst type because it was only the transition programme that after the conduct of successful elections never materialized.
Hopes however resurrected when General Abdulsalami Abubakar took over the rein of military power following the sudden death of General Abacha in June. 1998
The transition exercise under Abubakar gave rise to the emergence of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as President on May 29, 1999, which was regarded as the beginning of the Fourth Republic.
But the joy of the end to the chequered democratic history of Nigeria since 1963 became unarguably palpable on May 29, 2007, when Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua was successfully sworn in as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Such a development apart from ushering in the emergence of the Fourth Republic in Nigeria is now a watershed of civilian-to-civilian administration in the country.
As usual, there is no doubt that the transition programme especially during the general elections was the most trying moment for all Nigerians. In fact, many stakeholders have withdrawn their faith in the possibility of INEC conducting free and fair elections amid the human-induced murky political terrain in the country at the time.
But here we are today despite all intrigues, threats, violence, and all manner of undemocratic practices to see the dawn of the Fourth Republic in the context of civilian-to-civilian administration.
There is no doubt that the Almighty God has been with Nigeria to stave off any unfortunate event that would militate against the actualization of the Fourth Republic which gives consummate relevance to real civilian administration in the country.
It is therefore the responsibility of Nigerians and those in the diaspora to jealously guide and guard the era with a deep sense of historical antecedents as practiced by those with stable democratic culture.
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