---
title: "PDP — AP Comparative Government Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "The PDP was Nigeria's dominant party from 1999 to 2015, winning every presidential election until the APC's historic 2015 victory, a key AP Comp Gov example."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/pdp"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP Comparative Government"
unit: "Unit 4"
---

# PDP — AP Comparative Government Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) was Nigeria's dominant political party from the return to civilian rule in 1999 until 2015, winning control of government in every election while other parties legally competed, until the APC defeated it in Nigeria's first peaceful transfer of power between parties.

## What It Is

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) is the party that ran [Nigeria](/ap-comp-gov/review-by-country/nigeria/study-guide/4uuIc1WGkOGZPbz5 "fv-autolink") from the moment the military handed power back to civilians in 1999 until 2015. For those sixteen years, the PDP won every presidential election. Other parties existed and competed legally, but none could actually win national power. That made Nigeria a textbook example of a **dominant party system**, which the CED defines as a system where one party keeps winning even though competition is technically allowed.

The story changed in 2015. Several opposition parties merged into the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the APC's candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, defeated the sitting PDP president, Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan conceded and stepped down. That moment matters enormously for [AP Comp Gov](/ap-comp-gov "fv-autolink") because it was Nigeria's first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another, the kind of event that signals a maturing competitive system. Today the PDP is one of two major parties (alongside the APC) that dominate Nigeria's [multiparty system](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/multiparty-system "fv-autolink"), even though Nigeria has dozens of registered parties.

## Why It Matters

The PDP lives in Topic 4.3 (What are Political Party Systems?) in [Unit 4](/ap-comp-gov/unit-4 "fv-autolink"), supporting learning objective AP Comp Gov 4.3.A, which asks you to describe characteristics of party systems across the six course countries. The CED's essential knowledge (PAU-4.A.1) says party systems range from [dominant party](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/dominant-party "fv-autolink") systems to multiparty systems, and the PDP is your best example of a country moving along that range. Nigeria under the PDP (1999-2015) shows what a dominant party system looks like, and Nigeria after 2015 shows what a competitive multiparty system looks like, all in one country. That before-and-after makes the PDP a high-value comparison point against China's one-party rule, Russia's engineered dominance of United Russia, and the UK's and Mexico's competitive systems.

## Connections

### All Progressives Congress (APC) (Unit 4)

The APC is the other half of the PDP story. Opposition parties merged into the APC and beat the PDP in 2015, ending PDP dominance and creating the first peaceful party-to-party transfer of power in Nigerian history. You almost never discuss one without the other.

### Dominant party system (Unit 4)

The PDP is the concrete example behind the abstract term. A dominant party system means [elections](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/elections "fv-autolink") happen and opposition parties run, but one party wins everything anyway. The PDP did exactly that for sixteen years, then lost, which is also proof that dominant party systems can end through elections.

### [Communist Party of China (Unit 4)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/communist-party-of-china)

Perfect contrast case. The CPC holds power by rule (only one party may govern, per PAU-4.A.2), while the PDP held power by winning competitive-but-lopsided elections. One is a [one-party system](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/one-party-system "fv-autolink"), the other was a dominant party system. The exam loves this distinction.

### [Hybrid regime (Unit 1)](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/hybrid-regime)

Nigeria's long stretch of PDP dominance, paired with reports of flawed elections, is part of why Nigeria gets classified as a [hybrid regime](/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/hybrid-regime "fv-autolink") rather than a full democracy. The 2015 alternation in power is evidence you can use when arguing Nigeria has democratized.

## On the AP Exam

The PDP shows up most often in questions about Nigeria's party system. Multiple-choice stems ask things like why the PDP and APC dominate despite Nigeria having around 30 registered parties, or how to characterize Nigeria's 1999 transition from military rule to a multiparty system. On the free-response side, the PDP appeared in the 2017 SAQ and fits squarely into prompts like 2022 SAQ Q3, which asked you to compare political party systems in two course countries. The move the exam rewards is precision. You need to distinguish a dominant party system (PDP-era Nigeria, where competition existed but one party always won) from a one-party system (China, where only the CPC may govern) and from a competitive multiparty system (Nigeria after 2015). Citing the 2015 PDP-to-APC handover as Nigeria's first peaceful interparty transfer of power is a reliable, specific piece of evidence for SAQs and argument essays about democratization.

## PDP vs One-party system (Communist Party of China)

Under the PDP, other Nigerian parties could legally run for office and win seats; the PDP just kept winning the presidency. In China, the rules themselves guarantee that only the Communist Party can govern, with eight minor parties allowed to exist purely for consultation. The difference is competition. A dominant party out-competes rivals (and can eventually lose, as the PDP did in 2015), while a one-party state bans rivals from power entirely.

## Key Takeaways

- The PDP (People's Democratic Party) controlled Nigeria's government from the return to civilian rule in 1999 until 2015, making Nigeria a dominant party system during that period.
- Other parties legally competed against the PDP, which is what separates a dominant party system from a one-party system like China's.
- In 2015, the APC defeated the PDP, producing Nigeria's first peaceful transfer of power between parties and shifting Nigeria toward a competitive multiparty system.
- Today the PDP and APC are the two major parties that dominate Nigerian politics even though dozens of parties are registered.
- The PDP supports learning objective AP Comp Gov 4.3.A and is a go-to example for FRQs comparing party systems across course countries.

## FAQs

### What is the PDP in AP Comparative Government?

The PDP (People's Democratic Party) is the Nigerian party that dominated government from the 1999 return to civilian rule until 2015, when the APC defeated it. It's the course's main example of a dominant party system.

### Was Nigeria a one-party state under the PDP?

No. Other parties were legal and competed in elections; the PDP just won every presidential contest from 1999 to 2015. That makes it a dominant party system, not a one-party system like China, where only the Communist Party may govern by rule.

### What's the difference between the PDP and the APC?

The PDP was the ruling party from 1999 to 2015, while the APC formed from a merger of opposition parties and won the 2015 election. Together they now dominate Nigeria's multiparty system as the two major parties.

### Why did the PDP lose power in 2015?

Opposition parties consolidated into the APC, whose candidate Muhammadu Buhari defeated incumbent PDP president Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan conceded, making it Nigeria's first peaceful interparty transfer of power.

### Does Nigeria still have a dominant party system?

No, not since 2015. Power has alternated between the PDP and APC, so Nigeria is now best described as a multiparty system where two major parties dominate despite roughly 30 registered parties.

## Related Study Guides

- [4.3 What are Political Party Systems?](/ap-comp-gov/unit-4/political-party-systems/study-guide/HNDifxoeF5hglhPzck7v)

## Structured Data

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"LearningResource","@id":"https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/pdp#resource","name":"PDP — AP Comparative Government Definition & Exam Guide","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/pdp","learningResourceType":"Concept explainer","educationalLevel":"AP® / High School","about":{"@id":"https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/pdp#term"},"audience":{"@type":"EducationalAudience","educationalRole":"student"},"dateModified":"2026-06-11T05:53:14.545Z","isPartOf":{"@type":"Collection","name":"AP Comparative Government Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Fiveable","url":"https://fiveable.me"}},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","@id":"https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/pdp#term","name":"PDP","description":"The People's Democratic Party (PDP) was Nigeria's dominant political party from the return to civilian rule in 1999 until 2015, winning control of government in every election while other parties legally competed, until the APC defeated it in Nigeria's first peaceful transfer of power between parties.","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms/pdp","inDefinedTermSet":{"@type":"DefinedTermSet","name":"AP Comparative Government Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms"}},{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the PDP in AP Comparative Government?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The PDP (People's Democratic Party) is the Nigerian party that dominated government from the 1999 return to civilian rule until 2015, when the APC defeated it. It's the course's main example of a dominant party system."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Was Nigeria a one-party state under the PDP?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No. Other parties were legal and competed in elections; the PDP just won every presidential contest from 1999 to 2015. That makes it a dominant party system, not a one-party system like China, where only the Communist Party may govern by rule."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What's the difference between the PDP and the APC?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The PDP was the ruling party from 1999 to 2015, while the APC formed from a merger of opposition parties and won the 2015 election. Together they now dominate Nigeria's multiparty system as the two major parties."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why did the PDP lose power in 2015?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Opposition parties consolidated into the APC, whose candidate Muhammadu Buhari defeated incumbent PDP president Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan conceded, making it Nigeria's first peaceful interparty transfer of power."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Does Nigeria still have a dominant party system?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, not since 2015. Power has alternated between the PDP and APC, so Nigeria is now best described as a multiparty system where two major parties dominate despite roughly 30 registered parties."}}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"AP Comparative Government","item":"https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Key Terms","item":"https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/key-terms"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Unit 4","item":"https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-gov/unit-4"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"PDP"}]}]}
```