SUMMARY

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was formed by Alex Ekwueme and Jerry Gana in 1998, ahead of the democratic elections following the end of military rule that year.

PDP originated in a civil society group consisting of opponents of Sani Abacha’s military regime. It had a broad membership base and comprised veteran politicians, former military officers and other powerful individuals. From the outset, PDP was led by General Olusegun Obasanjo, who had previously been a military ruler of Nigeria. The PDP advocated greater regional autonomy, strengthened human rights, neoliberal economic policy and a conservative stance on some social issues. The party was victorious in the 1999 elections, with Obasanjo winning the presidential poll and the party gaining a majority of seats in the National Assembly.

At the start of democratic rule in 1999, Obasanjo had strong support in Nigeria and internationally; as military ruler he had voluntarily handed over power to democratic rule in 1979, he was a self-proclaimed “detribalised Nigerian” who was perceived as able to bridge ethnic divisions, and he had built up a reputation as an international statesman. Obasanjo proceeded to rule Nigeria for two successive terms, although the 2003 elections were widely criticised as extremely flawed. In 2007, after failing to change the constitution to enable being elected for a third term, Obasanjo was succeeded by Umaru YarAdua.

The supporters of PDP have been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.