The Third Republic was the planned republican government of Nigeria in 1992, intended to operate under the Third Republican Constitution. The political framework of the proposed republic included democratically elected state governors, state assemblies, and a national assembly serving as the federal legislature. However, the system was not fully democratic, as there was no democratically elected president.
The transition programme initiated by then-President Ibrahim Babangida was later perceived as a strategy to retain executive authority while conferring only limited legislative powers on the National Assembly. Under this arrangement, all bills passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives required approval from the National Defence and Security Council before receiving presidential assent.
Although Babangida adopted the title of "President"—a departure from the "Head of State" designation used by earlier military rulers—he repeatedly postponed the conduct of presidential elections. The election eventually held on 12 June 1993 was annulled by his administration.
Founded (1992)
The constitution of the Third Republic was drafted in 1989, marking the culmination of the work of a constituent assembly. General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), the military Head of State at the time, had initially pledged to end military rule by 1990. However, this timeline was later extended to 1993. In the spring of 1989, IBB lifted the ban on political activities, which had been in place since the 1983 coup.
The constitutional conference established two government-created political parties: the centre-right National Republican Convention (NRC) and the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SDP). Both parties were mandated to have a national outlook, rather than being based on ethnic or regional affiliations. Gubernatorial and state legislative elections were held in December 1991. The elected civilian governors and state legislators assumed office in January 1992.
The presidential election, originally scheduled earlier, was postponed until 12 June 1993 due to political instability. Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, a wealthy Yoruba businessman, won a decisive victory under the SDP platform, defeating Bashir Tofa of the NRC. Abiola won in Tofa's home state in the North, the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), military polling units, and in over two-thirds of Nigeria's states. Despite northern dominance in the country's post-independence political landscape, Abiola's appeal was national.
Years later, IBB reportedly described the annulment of the 1993 election as unfortunate, though he maintained it was the right decision at the time. He claimed to have received intelligence suggesting that Abiola's government would soon be overthrown in a military coup, which in his view made a transition to civilian rule futile. He acknowledged the irony of General Sani Abacha's subsequent coup, but insisted that the eventual military takeover was precisely what he had hoped to avoid.
The federal legislators were, however, more fortunate. After a series of delays following the 4 July 1992 legislative elections, the Third National Assembly was finally inaugurated on 5 December 1992. The same election saw the emergence of notable political figures such as Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then a protégé of Abiola, elected as Senator for Lagos West, and Chuba Okadigbo, a philosopher and later Senate President in the Fourth Nigerian Republic, elected as Senator for Anambra North.
Informal sources alleged that General Babangida supported the establishment of a legislature to give the government the appearance of representative democracy, but had no intention of relinquishing executive power to an elected president. While he continued to delay the presidential election, he reportedly lobbied members of the National Assembly to recognise him as the legitimate president, offering them the continuation of their positions as an incentive. The eventual collapse of the Third Republic was seen by many as inevitable.
Political parties National Republican Convention (NRC) Social Democratic Party (SDP)
President-elect and Vice President-elect +President-elect during the Nigerian Third Republic President-elect Elected Party Term MKO Abiola 12 June 1993 SDP 4 years Vice President-elect Elected Party Term Baba Gana Kingibe 12 June 1993 SDP 4 years
National Assembly Members
Note: while the legislators were entitled to a four year tenure, their term was cut short by the dissolution of the Third Republic on 17 November 1993. The Third Nigerian Republic had only one female senator in the person of Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele of Lagos Central
This is a complete list of democratically elected members of the National Assembly during the Third Nigerian Republic, as documented by journalist, author and publisher Chris Anyanwu in her book Law Makers 1992–1996: Federal Republic of Nigeria. Her work also describes the basis of the 1989 Constitution, which borrowed heavily from the 1979 Constitution of the Second Nigerian Republic, with important amendments. During the military regime of General Sani Abacha—for instance on 1 June 1995—Anyanwu was arrested, tried by a special military tribunal in connection with an alleged coup, and sentenced to life imprisonment in solitary confinement, later commuted to 15 years. She was eventually released following Abacha's death in 1998. She subsequently served two terms as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2007–2015), representing Imo East senatorial constituency.
In total, the Third Nigerian Republic National Assembly comprised 91 Senators and 593 members of the House of Representatives. However, 2 senatorial seats and 4 seats in the House of Representatives were declared vacant by the electoral umpire.