The Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) was a Nigerian political party that was one of the five state-sanctioned political parties allowed by the government of General

Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He seized power on 17 November 1993 in the last successful c ...

to participate in state assembly elections held in December 1997, and in parliamentary elections held in April 1998. The other authorized parties were the

United Nigeria Congress Party The United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) was a Nigerian political party. It was one of the five state-sanctioned political parties allowed by the government of General Sani Abacha to participate in state assembly elections held in December 1997, in ...

Congress for National Consensus A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

(CNC),

Democratic Party of Nigeria The Peoples Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with its main rival, the All Progressives Congress. Its policies generally lie towards the centre-right of the political spectrum. It won e ...

(DPN) and the National Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN). The Grassroots Democratic Movement headed by Alhaji

Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu also known as MD Yusufu or MD Yusuf (November 10, 1931 – April 1, 2015) was a Nigerian policeman, Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force, public servant and politician. Yusufu attended Higher Education at th ...

had a left wing orientation. In April 1998, the GDM was the only party considering alternative presidential candidates to Sani Abacha. Dr

Tunji Braithwaite The Nigeria Advance Party was a progressive political party during the Second Nigerian Republic, registered for the 1983 elections. Headed by lawyer Tunji Braithwaite, known for his opposition and as a lawyer, the party was the only new politica ...

, a lawyer who was called to the bar in 1961 and founded the

Nigeria Advanced Party Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

in 1983, hoped to be the presidential aspirant for the Grassroots Democratic Movement in 1999. By May 1998,

, a former Nigerian police chief, was suing the GDM for nominating Abacha as its presidential candidate. He called on Abacha to resign. When General

Abdulsalami Abubakar Abdulsalami Abubakar (; born 13 June 1942) is a Nigerian statesman and retired Nigerian Army general who served as the ''de facto'' President of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was also Chief of Defence Staff between 1997 and 1998. He succeede ...

succeeded Sani Abacha after the latter's death in June 1998, he dissolved the five parties and announced that democratic elections would be held during the first quarter of 1999. He proposed the free formation of political parties, an independent judiciary, international electoral monitors.

References

{{Nigeria political parties Defunct political parties in Nigeria 1990s establishments in Nigeria