Political History
Action Group Crisis 1962: How Drum Recorded a Powerful Turning Point in Western Nigeria
The Action Group Crisis 1962 was one of the most consequential political emergencies of Nigeria’s early independence. Less than two years after the country...
1979 Nigerian Governors: 2 Remarkable Survivors of the Second Republic’s First Elected Class
The 1979 Nigerian governors represented a new political generation. On 1 October 1979, nineteen elected state executives took office as Nigeria ended more than...
A Mother’s Unending Grief: The Tragic Killing of Adeife and Akinola Sodipo-Akindeko in 2003
Some moments change a person's life forever. For Dr. Mrs. Abisola Sodipo-Akindeko Clark, one journey from Lagos to Abeokuta in 2003 became the day...
Shugaba Darman, The Borno Politician Nigeria Tried To Deport From His Own Country
Alhaji Abdulrahaman Shugaba Darman was one of the most remarkable political figures of Nigeria’s Second Republic. A Kanuri politician from Borno State, he rose...
Why Acting Government Officials Stay in Power for Months Without Senate Confirmation
In government offices, the word acting is supposed to mean something simple: hold the position for now, keep things running, and step aside once...
The Western Region Crisis That Exposed the Cracks in Nigeria’s First Republic
The Western Region crisis of 1962 was one of the defining political storms of Nigeria’s First Republic. It was not simply a personal quarrel...
Five Political Murders That Changed Nigeria and Still Raise Questions
Some killings disappear into old headlines. Others stay alive in public memory because they reveal something deeper about a country’s political life. In Nigeria,...
Nigeria’s Political Crisis Beyond Ethnic Division
Nigeria’s political history is often explained in simple terms. Many accounts reduce the country’s troubles to ethnic division, as if diversity alone made instability...
Aliyu Sabo Bakin Zuwo and the Fall of Kano’s Civilian Government in 1983
Aliyu Sabo Bakin Zuwo belongs to the generation of northern Nigerian politicians whose careers were shaped by grassroots political mobilization and the intense contests...
Akintola vs Awolowo, How a Party Split Triggered the Western Region Emergency and Unravelled Nigeria’s First Republic (1962–1963)
During the 1950s, the Action Group emerged as the dominant political party in Western Nigeria. Founded in 1951, the party quickly built a strong...