The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) – Nigerian Fourth Republic Political Party
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) previously Action Congress (AC) was established in 2005 as a result of the crisis in the Alliance for Democracy. The power behind the formation of the ACN was Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu who was the then Alliance For Democracy Governor of Lagos State. Other principal members of the party are Chief Bisi Akande, Mr. Audu Ogbe and Dr. Christ Ngige.
In the 2007 elections, the party came third in the presidential election and won gubernatorial election in Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, and Edo States. The mandates of the governors of Edo (Adams Oshiomhole), Ekiti (Kayode Fayemi) and Osun (Rauf Aregbesola) were restored at different times by Election Petition Tribunals and the Appeal Court.
In the 2011 presidential elections, the party’s candidate, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu came third behind the winner (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan) and General Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). The party also won the gubernatorial elections in Oyo and Ogun States thus controlling the South-Western states except Ondo State.
The party’s candidate in the October 2012 governorship election in Ondo State (Mr. Akeredolu) lost to the incumbent governor Dr. Segun Mimiko of the Nigerian Labour Party (LP). The party is the largest minority party in the National Assembly in the seventh National Assembly.
Inspite of its great achievements particularly by its governments in Lagos and Edo States, the party is still largely perceived as a regional party. And unless the party is able to get over its lack of internal democracy and the imposition of candidates on the electorate which largely cost it the governorship election in Ondo State, the desire of the ACN to win national presidential elections may be a mere pipe dream. This is more so since the Action Congress of Nigeria is not ideologically different from any of the other parties.
