Politics
Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi move to register All Democratic Alliance
Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi move to register All Democratic Alliance
Opposition leaders led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi and the immediate past Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai have finally called off their fraternization with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 election.
The group, Nigeria National Coalition Group (NNCG), yesterday opted to go solo by applying to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for registration as a new party.
All Democratic Alliance (ADA), as it wants to be known, has as its protem Chairman Chief Akin Anderson Rickets, Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) when Amaechi was Minister of Transportation.
Other notable politicians said to be part of ADA are Peter Obi, Aminu Tambuwal, John Oyegun, Rauf Aregbesola, Abubakar Malami, Babachir Lawal, Uche Secondus, Osita Chidoka and Nnenna Ukeje.
The decision to seek registration as a party was reached at a meeting in Abuja on Thursday.
INEC acknowledged receipt of the application yesterday.
Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo mocked the party’s promoters for their inability to forge the coalition they had set out to do initially.
“This is just a simple application for party registration. There is nothing like a ‘coalition’ here,” Keyamo said on X.
“It is an unnecessary hype the promoters have been struggling to create all along. It is just a psychological warfare on Nigerians – a weak attempt at mass appeal,” he said.
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Rickets, a former commissioner for Information in Cross River State, in a letter attached to the registration application form, said: “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.”
Amaechi and Dr Umar Ardo who was Special Adviser on Research and Strategy to Vice President Atiku Abubakar during the Obasanjo Presidency, in a joint statement 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.
On Thursday, the group approved a manifesto, logo, party constitution and choice of A.D.A.’s protem national chairman and national secretary.
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Picked as protem national secretary was a former member of the House of Representatives from Awe/Doma/Keana in Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Musa Elayo.
The group said it would now begin to mobilise prominent opposition figures under its banner towards altering Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The next steps that the interim leadership is now working on include opening a national secretariat, new offices and bank account and commencement of effort to operate within the framework of the party’s newly approved constitution and in accordance with the 2022 Electoral Act.
Members of the new political party see themselves as game-changers with clear intentions of consolidating support from disillusioned voters and disgruntled elements across various existing parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which is currently battling internal rifts and leadership disputes.
“This development is a bold response to the loud yearning by Nigerians for a credible third force,” said Dr. Umar Ardo, Secretary of the Platform Committee, in a brief chat after the meeting.
Keyamo, reacting to the registration application, said: “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 a psychological warfare on Nigerians – a weak attempt at mass appeal.
“No recognised existing political party or parties are part of this. 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 APC in 2013.
“A few individuals exercising their constitutional right to form a new political party cannot be described as a ‘coalition’ or even a ‘merger’. This is not different from several political associations springing up every day for the same purpose.
“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.”
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 non-refundable 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.
Amaechi recently accused the commission of blocking the registration of new political parties.
Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi move to register All Democratic Alliance
Politics
Obi will contest presidency even without coalition – Yunusa Tanko
Obi will contest presidency even without coalition – Yunusa Tanko
Yunusa Tanko, former spokesperson for Peter Obi’s presidential campaign and current Director-General of the Obidient Movement, has affirmed that the former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, will run for the 2027 presidential election — regardless of whether he emerges as the candidate of the newly formed opposition coalition.
Tanko made this statement on Monday in Abuja during the second Annual Colloquium held in honour of Associate Professor Abdulmumin Ajia.
“Obi has already stated that he will contest in 2027, whether we get the coalition ticket or not, so we are not even contemplating whether or not he will run. But when we get to that level, the platform will be revealed,” Tanko declared.
The comment comes amid increasing tension within the opposition coalition, which recently adopted the African Democratic Congress, ADC, as its official political platform for the 2027 elections. Internal disagreements have reportedly emerged within the group, especially concerning the zoning of the party’s presidential ticket.
Tanko, representing Obi at the event, urged the coalition leaders to ensure that the presidential ticket is zoned to the South, citing national unity and fairness.
“Why should we have a northerner again when we can easily allow the South to complete their tenure to promote unity and cohesiveness? Afterwards, our northern brothers can take up their eight years,” he said.
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He also cautioned against repeating past political errors, referencing the annulment of Moshood Abiola’s 1993 presidential election victory, and stressed that the governor of Anambra State remains the best candidate to lead Nigeria forward.
Tanko described Obi as “a committed and capable leader who possesses the competence to transform the nation” and urged members of the coalition to rally behind him in order to avoid “another political blunder.”
Speaking at the event, Associate Professor Abdulmumin Ajia praised the ADC as “a credible and independent platform with the potential to reshape Nigeria’s political landscape.”
“It is only a strong opposition, free from the direct and indirect influence of the ruling party, that can rescue Nigeria from what can best be described as the irony of a collapsing rich nation,” Ajia stated.
The 2027 presidential race is expected to attract several influential politicians within the coalition, including Peter Obi, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
Obi will contest presidency even without coalition – Yunusa Tanko
Politics
2027: Peter Obi urges ADC coalition to zone presidential ticket to South
2027: Peter Obi urges ADC coalition to zone presidential ticket to South
2027: Peter Obi urges ADC coalition to zone presidential ticket to South
Politics
Your tenure was the worst in Osun history – Adeleke hits Aregbesola
Your tenure was the worst in Osun history – Adeleke hits Aregbesola
OSOGBO — Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has launched a scathing attack on his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, describing his eight-year tenure as the “worst in Osun’s history.”
Adeleke’s remarks came in response to Aregbesola’s statement on Sunday while addressing supporters of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Osogbo. Aregbesola had boasted that the ADC would dislodge the Adeleke-led administration from the government house come 2026.
In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Monday, Governor Adeleke said Aregbesola has no moral ground to speak, accusing him of leaving behind a legacy of hardship, financial mismanagement, and institutional decay.
“The empty boast of Mr. Aregbesola about 2026 is a symptom of a troubled mind battling his benefactor and haunted by the suffering he inflicted on millions of Osun people through his evil policies and programmes,” Adeleke said.
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The Governor accused Aregbesola of mismanaging workers’ welfare by introducing the controversial half salary policy, misusing contributory pension funds, and withholding cooperative deductions from civil servants.
“A man who should be remorseful and tender public apologies for his years of maladministration has the audacity to attack a Governor who is paying up the half salary affliction, clearing unjustified debts, and rehabilitating brutalized Osun workers,” the statement read.
Adeleke revealed that his administration has so far paid 28 months of the half salaries owed by Aregbesola’s administration and has also cleared close to N60 billion in pension debt.
He further criticized Aregbesola for plunging the state into a cycle of unsustainable debt, which he said is still affecting Osun’s financial health today.
“Our people are smart enough to know that the worst era for Osun State is that of Mr. Aregbesola, under whom many pensioners lost their lives and thousands of livelihoods were disrupted,” Adeleke declared.
Describing Aregbesola as a “shrew who doesn’t realize he’s smelling,” Adeleke warned that 2026 will be a payback year, where Osun voters will reject the return of what he termed “the dark days” of Aregbesola’s rule.
“No voter in Osun is ready for a return to the evil days. The people will punish the former Governor and his party for willfully inflicting pain on them.”
The war of words between the former and current governors signals an early start to the political contest ahead of the 2026 Osun governorship election.
Your tenure was the worst in Osun history – Adeleke hits Aregbesola
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