FELIX NWANERI writes on the application filed by some leaders of the opposition to float a new political party in their bid to form a coalition that will unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election
The move by some leaders of the opposition political parties to form a coalition that will confront the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election is gradually becoming a reality with their indication to float a new political party.
An application in this regard by the National Opposition Coalition Group led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and exKaduna State Governor, Nasir ElRufai, has been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for the registration of All Democratic Alliance (ADA).
The coalition’s application dated June 19, and jointly signed by the association’s Protem National Chairman, Chief Akin A. Rickets, and Protem National Secretary, Abdullahi Elayo, was acknowledged by the electoral commission on Friday.
The letter read: “We respectfully write to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), requesting the registration of our association, the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as a political party. “This is sequel to the decision taken by the Nigerian National Coalition Group to sponsor our association for full registration.
“The name of the party shall be All Democratic Alliance with ADA as our acronym and ‘Justice for All’ as our slogan. “The National Secretariat of the party is as stated at the bottom of the association’s letterhead used in this application. “We have also herewith attached our logo describing in details the symbolism of our party colours and their configuration and the corn (Maize).
“We have further attached our manifesto encompassing details of our party ideology, and our constitution providing the legal framework that defines our identity, structures and organisation, regulates our affairs and guides our actions in alignment with Section 40 and 222 of the Constitution, Section 75 of the Electoral Act (2022) and global democratic principles and objectives.
“Please find attached the following documents: our party flag depicting our name, acronym and slogan, manifesto, constitution and minutes of meeting. “While we eagerly await further action from the commission on the next step forward towards attaining our desired goal, please accept the consideration of our highest respect.”
This development is a bold response to the loud yearning by Nigerians for a credible third force
Besides Atiku and ElRufai, other key political heavyweights said to be behind ADA are former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi and Umar Ardo, convener of the League of Northern Democrats.
Other notable politicians said to be part of ADA are the 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr, Peter Obi; a former governor of Sokoto State and ex-speaker of the House of Representatives, Senator Aminu Tambuwal; a former National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; a former governor of Osun State and immediate past Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; ex-Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawa and a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus. Amaechi and Ardo, had traced the formation of the group to a May 6, 2025 meeting in Abuja.
That meeting, according to them, laid the groundwork for the NNCG, which is now seeking transformation into ADA. “This development is a bold response to the loud yearning by Nigerians for a credible third force,” Ardo said after the meeting.
Registration hurdle
While INEC had earlier warned political groups that no amount of pressure or public sentiment will override the need for strict compliance with constitutional and electoral guidelines, the election management is bound to register ADA if its promoters meet the requirements.
Under the Guidelines for the Registration of new political parties issued by INEC in 2014, a political association intending to register as a political party shall first apply to the commission for the Guidelines and Regulations.
The application must be made on the commission’s FORM PAI in 50 copies and shall be accompanied by documents showing, among others, the name of the proposed party, the names, signatures and addresses of the chairman and secretary of the association filling the form, evidence of payment of the prescribed nonrefundable administrative fee of N1 million in bank draft to the commission and 50 copies of the association’s draft constitution and manifesto.
Upon the receipt of the application, INEC is required to verify the claims contained therein such as whether the membership contravenes any of the provisions of the guidelines; whether the association has officers in at least 24 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Registration will be confirmed if the commission is satisfied that the association has fulfilled all the conditions prescribed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the guidelines. But where the commission is not satisfied, registration is denied.
Recreating history
Those behind the new party would be recreating history if their application is considered given the APC experience in 2013. APC’s emergence at the time was like a bolt out of the blues not because Nigerians were unaware of the party’s coming, but because nobody expected that the then main opposition political parties would close ranks and fuse into one platform.
The parties that dissolved into APC were Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) as well as factions of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) otherwise known as New PDP.
While it was doubt in some political quarters then against the backdrop that previous mergers never worked, founding members of the APC expressed optimism that their party will defeat of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 presidential election.
Their dream turned to reality, when against expectations, the candidate of the then opposition party, Muhammadu Buhari, defeated the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, by 15.4 million to 12.8 million votes. APC’s victory not only cut shot of PDP’s dream of being at the helm of affairs for 60 years as its leaders boasted at a time, but marked the first time an incumbent president would lose election in Nigeria’s political history.
Journey to ADA
However, the move for the new coalition started with a call by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in November last year for opposition political parties to come together and create a more formidable front that will salvage Nigeria’s democracy from sliding into a one-party state.
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 elections, pointed out that a formidable coalition is necessary to address the perceived decline in democratic values and to prevent Nigeria from becoming a de facto one-party system. He also noted that the project of protecting democracy in the country is not about just one man.
His words: “The project of protecting democracy in our country is not about just one man. You have come here today to say that we should cooperate to promote democracy. But the truth of the matter is that our democracy is fast becoming a one-party system; and, of course, you know that when we have a oneparty system, we should just forget about democracy.
“We have all seen how the APC is increasingly turning Nigeria into a dictatorship of one party. If we don’t come together to challenge what the ruling party is trying to create, our democracy will suffer for it, and the consequences of it will affect the generations yet unborn.” Opposition leaders, who heeded Atiku’s call, commenced alignment and realignment of political forces.
They were interestingly joined by some members of the APC, who fell out with the Tinubu-led presidency. One of such moves was the January meeting between a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, with the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and some political allies of Atiku.
A similar meeting between the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 elections, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and a former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, later held in Lagos.
The meeting, which was day after Omoluabi Progressives, Aregbesola’s political group, left the APC, according to sources, centred on “strategies ahead of the 2027 election.” However, days later, the Osun State chapter of the APC expelled Aregbesola over alleged anti-party activities.
Opposition walks a familiar path
While there is no doubt hat most Nigerians are likely to welcome an alternative political platform given the discontent against the established parties, particularly the APC, the fresh bid for a coalition by the opposition parties against the ruling party is not the first time such move would be made in the past 10 years the APC has been in power.
For instance, claims of dismal performance against the immediate past Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government prompted calls for a third force to unseat him in the 2019 general election as well as halt PDP’s bid to return to power at that time. Consequently, political alliances were hurriedly muted, with big names flaunted.
The move got heightened, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo led the first set of coalition under the aegis of Coalition of Nigeria Movement (CNM). Obasanjo not only rallied some of his loyalists, including a former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, he promised to be part of the struggle.
However, at the inauguration of the CNM, the ex-president canvassed for a movement that is not necessarily a political party from the outset, but could later take the form of a party and lead the country to the Promised Land. The birth of CNM spurred other groups like the Nigerian Intervention Movement (NIM), led by a former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakob.
What followed were merger talks between the respective groups and some political parties. One of the outcomes of the talks was CNM’s fusion with the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Expectedly, the alliance moves attracted a greater percentage of youths, who were buoyed by the passage of the Not Too Young To Run Bill and its assent to law.
The belief of most youths then was that new approaches are needed for the nation’s problems against emphasis on age and experience. But politics being a game of interest masquerading as a contest of principles; it did not take time before cracks appeared in the coalitions.
While lack of cohesion and disagreement over choice of presidential candidates contributed to the crumbling of the coalitions, the last straw that broke the camel’s back was when Obasanjo made a detour and endorsed the candidacy of Atiku, who served as vice president during his reign and was nominated for the poll by the PDP.
The aftermath was that the muchanticipated hope of a break from the past never materialised hence Buhari and several other public office holders at that time, viewed by many as members of the old order, were re-elected with only a pocket of youths making it to the legislative houses. There was another move against the APC ahead of the 2023 elections, when some notable politicians rallied under the aegis
If they are thinking of recreating what the APC did in 2013, then this is nothing but a pedestrian joke. A complete mockery of that seismic political coalition that birthed the APC in 2013
of Rescue Nigeria Project (RNP) to stop the party from returning to power. Arrowheads of the move then include a former governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed; onetime presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi; ex-Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran; a former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke and erstwhile National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega.
No doubt, most Nigerians had wished that the RNP would transform to a strong and credible political party or align with the existing ones, particularly the PDP to give APC a run for its money in the 2023 general election, but like the 2019 move, nothing came out of the bid. Rather, it was Peter Obi’s led Obidient Movement that redefined the political landscape on the platform of Labour Party (LP).
Recall that Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, polled 6.1 million votes to place third in the 2023 presidential election won by Tinubu with 8.7 million votes, while Atiku polled 6.9 million votes. Interestingly, Obi was Atiku’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election, when the former vice-president squared against President Buhari.
Questions begging for answers
While the various camps behind the fresh coalition are optimistic of not only getting ADA registered but mobilizing Nigerians ahead of the 2027 elections, several questions have popped up over their quest to turn the political table against the ruling APC.
Among the question being asked by political analysts include: Will members of the opposition close ranks this time given their individual ambitions?
Even if they succeed in coming together, can they sustain the steam given the fact that it takes more than registration of a party to unseat a ruling party? To most analysts, the proposed alliance is likely to hit the rocks if its arrowheads are looking at a platform to actualise their individual political ambitions.
This assumption is predicated on the belief that Atiku, El-Rufai, Obi and others are bent on contesting the 2027 presidential election, and that none of them is likely to step down for the other.
Another knotty issue is how leaders of the coalition will convince the leadership of the various opposition parties that have earlier indicated interest to be part of the movement to collapse their respective structures into the proposed ADA.
Some of these parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) had not only hoped that the coalition will make use of their respective platforms for the 2027 elections, but pronouncements were made the leaders of the coalition in that regard.
First, it was the SDP that was touted as the likely platform, following El-Rufai’s defection from the APC to the party. A twist, was however witnessed when report of ADC as the chosen platform emerged. The question against this backdrop is: Wither the SDP and ADC in the emerging development?
An indication that it would be difficult to get the SDP to fuse into the proposed ADA had earlier emerged, when the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Gabam, dismissed any political alliance with Atiku and El-Rufai. Gabam, who asserted that the SDP remains focused on strengthening its internal structures and presenting Nigerians with a credible political alternative, said: “There’s no alliance with anyone. As the chairman of the party, I have not engaged in any discussions about alliances.
Our focus is on reviewing our strategies from 2024 and building a dynamic, inclusive platform.” On his relationship with ElRufai, the SDP national chairman acknowledged the ex-governor’s influence in Nigerian politics but stressed that their connection is purely personal. “El-Rufai is a major force, but my relationship with him is personal, not political. Some people magnify his presence to create unnecessary controversy,” he explained.
Obi, on his part, has continued to reiterate that he is not against the idea of a coalition ahead of the next presidential poll, but insists that he never join any alliance solely focused on seizing power without prioritising the welfare of citizens.
His words: “Let me set the record straight: I am not against coalition. In truth, I am for it not for power grab but to position Nigeria for greatness. I have not, and will never, advocate for any coalition or alliance that does not prioritize the welfare and progress of the ordinary Nigerian.
“Any discussion about governance must centre on what it means for the everyday Nigerian, how it will address critical issues such as access to quality healthcare, education and pulling people out of poverty.
Too often in our nation’s history, individuals and groups have come together solely for the purpose of taking power for power’s sake. “Such endeavours, devoid of genuine purpose and vision, have only deepened our challenges, leaving the ordinary Nigerian to bear the brunt of bad governance.
This is what I stand firmly against. “Leadership must be about service, not self-interest. It must be about building a nation where opportunities abound for all, where justice and equity are nonnegotiable, and where governance works for the people, not against them.
“As I have always maintained, the New Nigeria is possible. But it requires us to change the way we think about power. It is not about grabbing it; it is about using it responsibly to transform lives and secure a brighter future for generations to come.”
It is also not clear whether Atiku can mobilise the PDP to be part of the new party given the position of the PDP Governors’ Forum on merger or coalition and other stakeholders of the main opposition party, including Chief Olabode George, who believe that PDP should not enter into any merger arrangement with any political party.
According George, “all those people saying they are going to float a mega party, is there any of them who is not ambitious to be president of Nigeria? Is that the real approach to solving this problem?
Do you think there is any party that doesn’t have its own crisis? All these people who are running around for their personal ambition, they are making a monumental mistake and they are all dancing on the graves of our founding fathers.”
APC dismisses new party
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who described ADA as a joke, which lacks political weight to trouble the APC, said the proposed party is not a coalition of political forces and cannot be regarded as a merger.
In a post on his X page, while reacting to the move by opposition leaders to register a new party ahead of the 2027 elections, Keyamo said the move is a failed attempt to recreate the 2013 coalition that led to the formation of the APC.
He insisted that promoters of the party are creating unnecessary hype and attempting to mislead Nigerians. “This is just a simple application for party registration. There is nothing like a ‘coalition’ here. “It is an unnecessary hype the promoters have been struggling to create all along.
It is just psychological warfare against Nigerians and a weak attempt at mass appeal,” Keyamo wrote. He stated that no recognised political party is part of the movement, adding that describing it as a coalition or merger is misleading. “If they are thinking of recreating what the APC did in 2013, then this is nothing but a pedestrian joke.
A complete mockery of that seismic political coalition that birthed the APC in 2013,” he said. The ADA effort, the minister further noted, is no different from the many political associations that spring up regularly with similar intentions.
“After all the razzmatazz, it boils down to the fact that a new political party is just attempting registration by a few Nigerians. It is a disappointing anti-climax to all the preceding pomp and pageantry,” he said.
The national leadership of the APC and the presidency, have before now, maintained that no amount of gang-up will stop Tinubu in 2027, but declared that the President is ready for any challenge from opposition leaders. National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, who has repeatedly boasted that no political gang-up will stop President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, is of the view that his party will surely emerge victorious because of its unparallel performance.
“Forget the recent political gatherings and ranting by some politicians who presently do not have any identifiable political base. Their gathering from the LP, PDP, SDP and others are people with different political ideologies and selfish political interests that can never agree on any issue politically.
“The gathering is an assemblage of people with divergent political interests. No amount of political arrangement or gang up can stop the good people of Nigeria from re-electing Tinubu as President in 2027,” he said.
Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications to the President, Sunday Dare, at a time, advised the leading opposition figures – Atiku, Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) – as well as other critics like El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi (a former governor of Rivers State) to wait till the next general election before they flex muscles.
Insisting that activities of the opposition leaders are premature, he said: “This is 2025, not 2027. Let those who want to test their popularity with Nigerians wait for the next election.
The only conversation President Tinubu wants to have now is how to improve the lives of Nigerian citizens and constructive discourse on building a resilient economy.” National Vice Chairman of the APC (South-East), Dr Ijeoma Arodiogbu, on his part, said the ruling party is not worried over the moves by the opposition figures. “As it is in the Bible; surely they shall gather and they shall scatter.
Tinubu and his men must return to the political drawing board because it is not going to be easy the way they are making it to look like as the 2027 presidency is going to be an epic democratic contest in Nigeria’s history
We are not worried that they are gathering because they will definitely scatter. We are not worried about what El-Rufai does next. We know that his trajectory in politics is highly disturbed now,” he said. Arodiogbu added: “After our election in 2023, El-Rufai displayed himself as a man who cannot be trusted across the regions. The way he disparaged Christians in Nigeria, a secular society, has made him a leper.
Nobody goes anywhere close to him. El-Rufai is just desperate for recognition now and I wonder why the media is giving him that attention. “We are not worried about the unholy alliance because it will amount to nothing. It is just a gathering of disgruntled people, trying to lick their wounds. Tinubu remains the president and there is nobody that can stop him in 2027.”
He noted that the reforms of the Tinubu administration, which the opposition may be planning to campaign with are currently yielding the desired results Nigerians, so the people cannot afford to surrender leadership to desperate politicians whose sole interest is state capture. “When 2027 comes, what will they use to campaign to Nigerians? Will they tell them that they plan to reintroduce fuel subsidy? Not possible! We are already bouncing back to the days of glory.
They have seen that forex t is stabilised, and the people are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. “People are now beginning to understand the essence of all the reforms President Tinubu has implemented. You can see that the policy reforms implemented by the President are beginning to yield positive gains,” Arodiogbu said.
Beyond Alliance
While it is dismissal of any possible threat the proposed coalition is likely to pose for Tinubu by the leadership of the APC, some stakeholders, who spoke on the development, said the workability of the coalition will depend more on party structure rather than reliance on personalities.
Founder and Pioneer National Chairman of APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie, in an interview with New Telegraph, expressed the feeling that the coalition poses a threat to Tinubu’s re-election bid.
His words: “The coalition looks like a very portent one that may turn out to be a very formidable challenge to President Tinubu come 2027 beyond the way those around him are reacting to it because I know that those behind the coalition are plotting to divide Southern Nigeria by bringing a candidate, who will do just four years in order to allow the region complete its eight years in line with the rotation agreement, so that power can go back to the North in 2031.
“The trump card in this calculation is Peter Obi and the belief of that arrowheads of the plot is that Obi, unlike President Goodluck Jonathan, will not renege on any agreement he is likely to enter with the North given his antecedent.
While Jonathan is said to have reneged on the agreement that he will complete Umar Yar’Adua’s first term, so that the North will replace him in 2011, promoters of the coalition believe that there is no reason to doubt Obi. So, Atiku is likely to step down for Obi. Once that is done, 2027 will be a done deal. “So, expect serious realignment of political forces in the days ahead.
You will see CPC elements in the APC and supporters of former President Buhari leaving the ruling party for any platform those behind the coalition will agree on. And, mark my words, APC will wake up to reality very soon. “Unfortunately, those around the President are busy attracting more political opponents for him rather than supporters.
They are not even looking at the numbers, which show that the North-West holds the ace given that the zone delivered bulk of the votes for Tinubu in 2023. “I am not saying that they will lose in 2027, but Tinubu and his men must return to the political drawing board to take a look at how they will survive because it is not going to be easy the way they are making it to look like as the 2027 presidency is going to be an epic democratic contest in Nigeria’s history.”
Olufemi Aduwo, the Permanent Representative of the Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDI) at the United Nations, who also spoke on the coalition move, told New Telegraph that it will take more than coming together of opposition leaders to unseat Tinubu and his party in 2027.
His words: “I have heard calls for the opposition parties to come together to defeat Tinubu, but let us be honest, many of these parties are built around individuals, both the APC and PDP. Take the formation of the APC in 2013. It came about from the merger of Nigeria’s three largest opposition parties. The ACN, CPC and ANPP alongside a breakaway faction of APGA. “These parties had governors, which was crucial. In November 2013, five serving governors from the PDP defected to the APC.
Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa and Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto. Unknowingly to Atiku Abubakar, the walk-out led by him during PDP convention was the moment his political ambition hit a dead end. “In the 2015 presidential poll, the “New PDP” states delivered a massive 3.3 million votes to Buhari, who defeated Jonathan by 2.5 million votes.
Without this group, the APC and Buhari would have lost. So, it is not enough for the opposition to simply unite, they need to secure at least seven APC governors. Anything less, they are merely engaging in a game of musical chairs with no real substance. If they are serious about change, they need to win over key APC figures.
