Morning All! Day 10 of our #NigerianPoliticalHistory sessions based on my thesis research.
Today, we'll discuss how Nigeria's first post-colonial government was formed in 1959 and why Zik's NCNC chose coalition with Bello's NPC instead of Awo's AG who offered him Premiership.
Today, we'll discuss how Nigeria's first post-colonial government was formed in 1959 and why Zik's NCNC chose coalition with Bello's NPC instead of Awo's AG who offered him Premiership.
All told after the 1959 federal elections, Bello's NPC commanded 143 seats in the 312-member House of Representatives, NCNC 89 seats, AG 73 plus 7 Independents. Technically, any 2 of the major parties could thus form a coalition. However, just after the results were announced,
but before any coalition deal had been reached Governor-General James Robertson appointed Tafawa Balewa PM on grounds he represented largest party in House of Reps and could form a coalition.
Balewa specifically requested this to strengthen his hand in coalition negotiations.
Balewa specifically requested this to strengthen his hand in coalition negotiations.
Balewa told Robertson he was sure Festus Okotie-Eboh, an NCNC man who opposed an NCNC-AG coalition since that meant Awo as Finance Minister, a job he wanted for himself, would break away from NCNC with some other party Members and join an NPC coalition even if Zik opposed it.
NCNC, a coalition of various unions and movements, was never as disciplined a party as AG or NPC and the days when Zik's authority in the party was unquestioned were long gone by 1959. Zik was aware of this. Here is a memo Robertson sent to London detailing meeting with Balewa. 
Moreover, to muddy the waters further, most of the Yoruba members of NCNC said they would never accept a coalition in which Awo would play a prominent role. They threatened to leave NCNC if Zik chose AG. Zik spoke about this in a speech to NCNC members on December 22, 1959. Here:
Olufemi Ogunsanwo, one of Awo's biographers, also mentions this opposition of Yoruba members of NCNC to a government with Awo in his book.
Add to this fact that many other NCNC members remembered bitterly their years of rivalry with AG in the 1950s, didn't trust AG people plus potential threat of the North not accepting an all-South government, perhaps even seceding and we see how an NCNC-AG coalition that would
have seen Zik become Prime Minister became a non-starter.
Publicly, Zik preferred not to admit he would have been unable to force through NCNC-AG coalition even if he had wanted as that would suggest he was not in control of NCNC. So he emphasized threat of Northern secession.
Publicly, Zik preferred not to admit he would have been unable to force through NCNC-AG coalition even if he had wanted as that would suggest he was not in control of NCNC. So he emphasized threat of Northern secession.
So, in the end NCNC joined NPC as junior coalition partner with Azikiwe getting the ceremonial post of Governor-General which offered no real power. This memo by Governor Robertson to London contains the demands made by NCNC to join the NPC government as related to him by Balewa.
Sure enough, Festus Okotie-Eboh, popularly referred to as "Mr 10%" for his wheeling-dealing, got his coveted job of Nigeria's Finance Minister in the NPC-NCNC coalition government. It is perhaps worth mentioning that AG approached not only NCNC for a coalition, but also NPC.
However, NPC elites were so bitterly opposed to Awo and his party, largely because of Awo's consistent campaign to break up the North, that they ruled this out and opted for NCNC instead. So, my friends, this was how Nigeria's first post-colonial government came into being.
Perhaps we shall stop there for today. It's been shorter than usual, but I wanted to focus solely on how this first government came into being and I think this might be enough to digest for one day. Tomorrow, we shall start discussing independence period. Have a great day folks!
