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 dictator and statesman who ruled Nigeria with an iron fist as military head of state from 1993 following a palace coup d'état until his death in 1998. Abacha's seiz ...

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 The United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) was a Nigerian political party. It was one of the five state-sanctioned political parties allowed by the government of General Sani Abacha to participate in state assembly elections held in December 1997, i ...

, Congress for National Consensus (CNC), Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) and the National Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN). The Grassroots Democratic Movement headed by Alhaji

Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu , also known as MD Yusufu or MD Yusuf (November 10, 1931 – April 1, 2015) was a Nigerian policeman, Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force, public servant and politician. Yusufu attended Higher Education at t ...

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 in 1983, hoped to be the presidential aspirant for the Grassroots Democratic Movement in 1999. By May 1998,

, 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 retired Nigerian army general who served as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was also Chief of Defence Staff from 1997 to 1998. He succeeded General Sani Abacha upon ...

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