The Nigerian Political Bureau of 1986 was established by General Ibrahim Babangida shortly after taking power during the 1985 coup d'état. The bureau was created to conduct a national debate on Nigeria’s political future and was tasked to:
"Review Nigeria’s political history and identify the basic problems which have led to our failure in the past and suggest ways of resolving and coping with these problems."
This initiative became the broadest political consultation in Nigerian history, receiving over 27,000 submissions from Nigerians nationwide on diverse issues such as religion, ethnicity, and ideology.
Background
Prior to the bureau’s creation, Nigeria had experienced two civilian democratic republics: - First Nigerian Republic - Second Nigerian Republic
Both were marred by institutional failures and subsequently overthrown by military regimes.
Criticisms and Controversy
While the Political Bureau appeared democratic, some critics considered it a strategy to legitimize military rule.
- In 1987, Newswatch Magazine published an unofficial version of the report and was proscribed for months — reinforcing suspicions that Babangida’s administration feigned a democratic transition.
Members of the Political Bureau
Announced on January 13, 1986, the 17-member panel included:
- Dr. Samuel Joseph Cookey – Chairman
- Abdullahi Augie – Executive Secretary
- Bala Takaya
- Dr. Edwin Madunagu – Marxist; columnist for The Guardian; later removed
- Oye Oyediran
- Mrs. Hilda Adefarasin
- E.O. Awa
- Tunde Adeniran
- Mrs. R. Abdullahi
- A.D. Yahaya
- Prof. Sam E. Oyovbaire – Political Scientist; Adviser to Babangida
- Dr. Ola Balogun – Resigned controversially
- Haroun Adamu
- Ibrahim Halilu
- O.E. Uya
- Pascal Bafyau – Railway Union Leader; NLC President
- Sani Zahradeen
Major Recommendations of the Bureau
✔️ Proposed (Some Approved)
- Adoption of a two-party system under specific conditions
- Creation of six new states (only Katsina and Akwa Ibom were approved)
- Mass Mobilization for a political orientation and economic recovery
- 10% of elected positions reserved for women and labor leaders
- Economic recovery based on self-reliance and social justice
- Exclusion of traditional rulers from formal politics
- Rejection of zoning and power rotation
- Political and economic democratization to lead to a socialist state
❌ Rejected Recommendations
- Unicameral legislature
- Single five-year presidential term
- Democratization leading to a socialist state
- Zoning principle
Impact and Influence
Adopted Programs
- MAMSER (Mass Mobilization for Self Reliance, Social Justice, and Economic Recovery)
- Two-party system:
- Social Democratic Party (SDP) – center-left
- National Republican Convention (NRC) – center-right
Intellectuals and Babangida's Strategy
General Babangida co-opted several Nigerian intellectuals during the Transition to Civil Rule Program: - Political detainees were released - Decree 4 was repealed - Human rights were promised (if not practiced)
Key Figures
Prof. Sam E. Oyovbaire:
- Adviser to Admiral Aikhomu
- Vocal defender of MAMSER, SAP, NEC, and Babangida’s policies
- Later head of Atiku Abubakar’s campaign in the South-South (2010)
- Co-author of "Portrait of a New Nigeria Leader: Selected Speeches of IBB"
Dr. Edwin Madunagu:
- Removed from the bureau for “extremist” views
- Published unofficial reports and faced secret police intimidation
Legacy and Scholarly Assessments
Prof. Adebayo Williams wrote in "Intellectuals and the crisis of democratization in Nigeria":
"A substantial faction of the intellectual class is implicated in this democratic debacle..."
Oyovbaire’s defense of Babangida included:
“The IBB regime created the enabling environment for a generation of Nigerian professionals...”
On missing $12.2 billion Gulf War windfall:
“The divergence between the Okigbo report and the IBB regime was conceptual, not substantive.” — Oyovbaire
Julius & Rotimi Ihonvbere summarized Babangida’s legacy:
“Corrupt, manipulative, unpredictable, ambitious, unreliable...”
References
Detailed bibliography and official citations to be added.