THE SOUTHWEST POLITICS PHASE 1

This phase of the southwest politics speaks volume of the political activities of the south-west before and after Nigeria independence. And, since the topic is a continuum, we have to publish the article on south-west in phases.
Southwest is one of the six geo-political zones forming the country Nigeria, as it is referred to presently.

At the pre independence and the early period of Nigeria becoming independence and later republic, the country was divided into three parts; Eastern part, Northern part, and Western part. Each division is dominated majorly by tribes whose language are the same but different by way of sectional dialects. And, during the said time too, a portion of the west was carved out and it was named Mid-West. All the parts created were then referred to as regions, hence, regional government was what the country embarked on as at the period. The administrators in the regions were referred to as Premier. Hence, in the Eastern Region was Chief Michael Okpara, in the Northern Region was Sir Ahmadu Bello and in the Western Region was Chief Obafemi Awolowo. When the Mid-Western Region was created, Chief Anthony Enahoro was made the Premier.

It must be noted that at a time before independence, Nigeria was governed under colonial rule and the colonial master was Britain. Britain colonized and managed Nigeria from 1914 until the country attained her independence on October1, 1960. Although, the regions have been existing during the colonial rule even with the administration of premiers in the regions, the regional government continued after all, with Nigerians governing ourselves at the aegis of our frontline politicians, the founding fathers. And, Parliamentarian democracy was adopted as the system through which the government was governed, and Alhaji Tafawa was the Prime Minister.
With regional government in vogue and has its head at the centre as the Prime Minister, British constitution was adopted and put it in use, the constitution then allowed the Prime minister at the centre as the head of government, and the regions to be administered by premiers. Therefore, today’s South-west which was then known as Western Region began self-government. It must be enunciated that the western region under government of Awolowo as premier and before the carving out of Mid-West extended to Asaba, having Onitsha, an eastern commercial town as boundary between east and west, showing that the present Edo and some parts of Delta states were part of the western region.
As initially explained, it was the Yoruba tribe that dominated the western region. By 1945, a Pan Yoruba organization, Egbe Omo Oduduwa (The descendants of Oduduwa) having Chief Obafemi Awolowo as the leader was formed. With his faith and advocacy for pure federalism and self-government against the British indirect rule in Nigeria formed political party, Action Group (A G) as Egbe Omo Oduduwa political offshoot in 1950 and participated in the western regional election in 1951. The Action Group’s platform called for the immediate termination of British rule in Nigeria and development of various welfare programs including; Universal Primary education, improvement of Health services in rural areas, diversification of Western Regional economy and full democratization of local government. The result of the election conducted in the west was in favour of Action Group as it won the majority vote, and Awolowo as the president, A G became the leader of the party in Nigeria by 1952.
In 1954, Awolowo became the first premier of Western Region and governed the region. With various progressive developmental programs, like Free Primary Education which began in 1955, and as well, award of scholarships to students who could not afford to pay for their secondary/ tertiary education, and, lastly provision of health services to the citizenry of the region.
By 1959, having confidence in self that he could win the election into the Federal House of Representatives, Awolowo resigned his position as the premier of Western Region and contested the election. He eventually lost the election but remained the leader of opposition. As at then, the deputy leader of Action Group, Chief Ladoke Akintola while Awolowo was the leader of opposition, automatically became the premier of the region. By 1962, political disturbances began in the Western Region House of Assembly as creation of factions within the party ensued. There was Akintola faction and the other faction was the Awolowo loyalists. At the peak of the disturbances, Akintola faction pulled out of A G and formed another party, National Nigeria Democratic Party (NNDP). Hence, by 1963, another election was conducted In Western Region, but, the result was in favour of Akintola’s party, NNDP, thus Akintola was fully in government from 1964 to 1966. But, there were crisis in the political class in Nigeria all through the period and this allowed for the military intervention and eventual usurpation of power through coup de tat of January 15, 1966.