During the First Republic, Nigeria experimented with the British Westminster-style parliamentary system of governance where the positions of a powerful Prime Minister and a ceremonial President were created. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe would hold these positions until the military struck and brought an end to democracy in Nigeria.
On October 1, 1979, General Olusegun Obasanjo handed over power to President Shehu Shagari to usher in Nigeria’s Second Republic. It would be the second time Nigeria would be under democratic rule since the military coup of January 15, 1966, that led to the fall of the First Republic.