Political parties and the Nigerian Political Process 1999- 2006 and beyond

This paper examines the role of political parties in Nigerian emerging democracy.A historical perspective is adopted tracing the origins of political parties in Nigeria and the roles they have played.We highlight the process of party formation/registration and the role of Independent National Election Commission (INEC) and the interaction between the political parties, civil society and non-governmental organisations.We emphasise the ethno regional basis of the parties in the past and the changes since the 1999 and 2003 general elections to date.