A political group, the National Opposition Coalition, led by the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and ex-Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has floated a new political party, All Democratic Alliance.
The coalition has subsequently applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the registration of the new political party.
Dated June 19, the application was officially acknowledged by INEC on Friday, signaling the coalition’s determination to float a new platform instead of aligning with any existing political party.
The formation of ADA, backed by some other key political heavyweights, including former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, the convener of the League of Northern Democrats and former aide to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Umar Ardo, seeks to capitalise on political realignments to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The application comes just a few days after INEC warned political groups that no amount of pressure or public sentiment would override the need for strict compliance with constitutional and electoral guidelines.
INEC had reiterated that party registration remained a rigorous constitutional process, not merely a political declaration.
With Thursday’s application, the coalition has put an end to weeks of speculation about whether it would revive a dormant party or launch a fresh official platform.
A copy of the application letter, obtained by our correspondent in Abuja on Friday, was jointly signed by the association’s Protem National Chairman and Secretary, Chief Akin A. Rickets and Abdullahi Elayo, respectively.
The letter partly read, “We respectfully write to the Independent National Electoral Commission, requesting the registration of our association, the All Democratic Alliance, 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 coalition also submitted relevant documents, including the party’s constitution, manifesto, logo, and minutes of its foundational meetings.
The party’s symbol prominently features a maize (corn), which the applicants say represents abundance, resilience, and sustenance, core ideals they hope to promote.
“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 organization,” the letter added.
The correspondence concluded with a formal appeal: “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.”
But Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, said he was not aware of the party registration move.
Ibe sought clarification on the authenticity of the correspondence to INEC.
“I am not aware. Have you confirmed the veracity of the documents?” he queried.
When assured that it has been confirmed, Ibe admitted that he had not been briefed about it.
He said, “I have not been briefed about that. Of course, you know that what the coalition is doing is not under our purview. So, I am not aware of this.”
