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 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, in which it won many elections, and in parliamentary elections held in April 1998. Considered by its opposition to be the army’s proxy, it dominated the Abacha transition programme.

History

The UNCP was an amalgamation of three political parties, the United Nigeria Congress (UNC) led by

Ibrahim Gusau Ibrahim Gusau is a Nigerian politician and former minister for Agriculture and Industries. Early life and education Gusau was born on 25th January 1945 in Sokoto, Sokoto State. Ibrahim Gusau started his elementary education at the Gusua Elementa ...

, Attahiru Bafarawa, and Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, United Nigeria Party (UNP) led by Bode Olajumoke, Kashim Imam, Babs Akerele and Empire Kanu and the Solidarity Group of Nigeria (SGN) led by

Umaru Dikko Umaru Abdulrahman Dikko (31 December 1936 – 1 July 2014) was a Nigerian politician. He was an adviser to President Shehu Shagari and served as minister for transportation from 1979 to 1983. Early life Dikko was born in Wamba. Wamba is sm ...

. Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau former Minister in the Second Republic was its pro tem National Chairman. In its first convention at Owerri, Ambassador Isa Aliyu Mohammed Argungu was elected as its first National Chairman. The party included politicians such as

Atiku Abubakar Atiku is a given name and surname. It may refer to: Given name *Atiku Abubakar (born 1946), Nigerian politician and businessman, Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 *Atikur Rahman Mallik, Bangladeshi film editor Middle name *Abubakar Atiku ...

, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, Suleiman Takuma,

Ibrahim Saminu Turaki Alhaji Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (born 14 July 1963) is a Nigerian actuary and politician. He served as the executive governor of Jigawa State from 1999 to 2007. Prior to that, he was the Jigawa state chairman of the defunct Social Democratic P ...

Attahiru Bafarawa Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa (born 4 November 1954) is a Nigerian politician who was the executive governor of Sokoto State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. Early career He was a local government councillor in charge of Education ...

Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya (born 16 June 1952) is a Nigerian politician who has served in the Senate of Nigeria since 2007 representing the Kano South constituency of Kano State. He is a member of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). Background ...

Adeleke Mamora Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora (born 16 February 1953) is a Nigerian politician, who is currently the Minister of Science and Technology, he previously served has Minister of State of Health of Nigeria. He was elected Senator for the Lagos East con ...

, Funsho Williams, Mohammed Daggash, Adamu Aliero,

Anyim Pius Anyim Anyim Pius Anyim (born 19 February 1961) is a Nigerian politician who served as president of the Nigerian Senate from 2000 to 2003, he was Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) during Goodluck Jonathan presidency. He was elected a ...

Nnenadi Usman Nenadi Esther Usman (born 12 November 1966) is a Nigerians, Nigerian politician from Kagoro in Kaduna State, Nigeria. She was elected senator for Kaduna South in the April 2011 elections, running on the People's Democratic Party (Nigeria), People' ...

, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam,

Ibrahim Kura Mohammed Ibrahim Kura Mohammed was elected Senator for the Kano Central constituency of Kano State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform. He took office on 29 May 1999. Kura Mohamm ...

, Ibrahim Mantu, Emeka Ojukwu, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu,

Abubakar Koko Alhaji Abubakar Garba Koko, , Sarkin Yakin Gwandu, (1937 – 26 December 2003), was a Nigerian civil servant, Administrator, and Politician who served as the first Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Abuja. ...

Joe Garba Joseph Nanven Garba (17 July 1943 – 1 June 2002) was a Nigerian general, diplomat, and politician who served as president of the United Nations General Assembly from 1989 to 1990. Early life and military career Born in Langtang, Nigeria, Garba ...

Bode Olajumoke Wilfred Olabode Olajumoke (Bode Olajumoke) is a Nigerian politician who was a member of the Senate of Nigeria for Ondo State from 2007 to 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2009. Background Bode Olajumoke was born in Lagos on 1 July 1944, of a Yoru ...

Bello Matawalle Bello Muhammad (born 12 February 1962), known as Bello Matawalle, is a Nigerian politician and teacher who has served as the Governor of Zamfara State since 2019. After briefly serving in the Abacha-era state house of assembly and serving as a st ...

and

Ali Modu Sheriff Ali Modu Sheriff (born 1956) is a Nigerian politician. He is Borno State's first governor to serve two consecutive terms (2003–2011). Though Sheriff had held two elected offices as a member of All Nigeria People's Party, he would later join ...

. It was a left centrist party, with a broader base and acceptance than the left-wing

Grassroots Democratic Movement 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 to participate in state assembly elections held in December 1997, a ...

(GDM) 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 ...

. The other authorized parties were the

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 UNCP was the largest of these political parties, and one of four (out of five) to support Abacha standing as a presidential candidate. 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

{{reflist Defunct political parties in Nigeria 1990s establishments in Nigeria 1998 disestablishments in Nigeria