The Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) was a Nigerian political party that was one of the five state-sanctioned political parties allowed by the government of General

Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He seized power on 17 November 1993 in the last successful c ...

to participate in state assembly elections held in December 1997, and in parliamentary elections held in April 1998. The other authorized parties were the United Nigeria Congress Party,

Congress for National Consensus A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

(CNC),

Democratic Party of Nigeria The Peoples Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with its main rival, the All Progressives Congress. Its policies generally lie towards the centre-right of the political spectrum. It won ev ...

(DPN) and the

National Centre Party of Nigeria National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(NCPN). The Grassroots Democratic Movement headed by Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu had a left wing orientation. In April 1998, the GDM was the only party considering alternative presidential candidates to Sani Abacha. Dr Tunji Braithwaite, a lawyer who was called to the bar in 1961 and founded the

Nigeria Advanced Party Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of ...

in 1983, hoped to be the presidential aspirant for the Grassroots Democratic Movement in 1999. By May 1998, Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu, a former Nigerian police chief, was suing the GDM for nominating Abacha as its presidential candidate. He called on Abacha to resign. When General

Abdulsalami Abubakar Abdulsalami Abubakar (; born 13 June 1942) is a Nigerian statesman and retired Nigerian Army general who served as the ''de facto'' President of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was also Chief of Defence Staff between 1997 and 1998. He succeede ...

succeeded Sani Abacha after the latter's death in June 1998, he dissolved the five parties and announced that democratic elections would be held during the first quarter of 1999. He proposed the free formation of political parties, an independent judiciary, international electoral monitors.

References

{{Nigeria political parties Defunct political parties in Nigeria 1990s establishments in Nigeria