Facts have emerged on why some northern elites and southern politicians aligned to form a new political party, the All Democratic Alliance, as a platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

This is coming after the reported plan to adopt the All Democratic Alliance and the Social Democratic Party failed to materialise.

CEOAFRICA source gathered that the move to register the new party was a consensus among the northern elite, the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar-led National Opposition Coalition Group, the League of Northern Democrats, and some southern political leaders.

“It was a collective decision by all interest groups. Atiku is involved, the LND and other key stakeholders are involved in the party registration,” a former minister who is among the arrowheads of the move told our correspondent on Saturday.

Sunday PUNCH learnt that the LND, led by Dr Umar Ardo, a former Special Adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, had wanted to register the League of All Democrats as a political party before aligning with some southern political leaders.

The alliance came to the fore on May 6 when all the coalition stakeholders converged on Abuja to deliberate on the structure and operations of the coalition.

According to insiders, the alliance produced a committee headed by a former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, and Ardo of the LND, with a mandate to guide the coalition on the path to chart for a platform.

The committee, christened New Platform Committee, was also to harmonise the interests of other anti-Tinubu groups and have a united platform.

Sources told one of our correspondents that the NPC discouraged the idea of adopting an existing party for “the political struggle” because of the fear of litigation that might arise as a result of the imminent change to the party’s structure from national to ward levels.

“Adopting an existing party will surely have some consequences, the most dreaded of which is litigation by original members of the party who may be dislodged from their positions. The anti-Tinubu elements do not want anything that will weaken or jeopardise their political struggle. That is why the Amaechi committee recommended a new party,” one of the insiders said.

Following the recommendation of the Amaechi’s committee, a meeting of all the “interest groups” was held on June 19, 2025, where it was agreed that a new party be registered.

An insider with knowledge of the development said, “The League of Northern Democrats already had a party they wanted to register, with manifestos, constitution, logo, and everything. So, the groups adopted the LND’s party with modifications.

“The LND’s party was to be League of All Democrats, but it was changed to All Democratic Alliance as resolved by the committee members. Other things were changed too, to accommodate the interests of everybody.”

The former minister said the NPC didn’t do anything out of place.

He said, “The League of Northern Democrats is equally part of the process of the new party registration. It is an association standing on its own, but agreeing to be part and parcel of the coalition arrangement.

“The name is collectively agreed upon to be used. There are other interest groups. The interest groups came together and agreed on the name that is being put forward to INEC for consideration for registration.”

The spokesperson for the LND, Ladan Salihu, didn’t answer calls or respond to messages sent to him for comment on the development.

However, a prominent member of the group, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, confirmed that the LND was involved in the new party arrangement.

“You know it is our original idea and desire to register a new party, and we have tried to convince other like-minded people in that line. You will see our inputs in names and other things of the proposed party,” he stated.

Failed party adoption?

The move to register a new party comes a few weeks after the Atiku-led coalition adopted the African Democratic Congress as the platform to challenge Tinubu in 2027.

Sunday PUNCH had reported that the ADC amended its constitution to grant equal rights and privileges to incoming members, a move interpreted by insiders as a strategic step to accommodate high-profile defectors ahead of the coalition.

However, this sparked resistance among some state officials, who vowed not to relinquish their positions to new entrants.

While a few expressed openness to leadership changes in the spirit of unity, others insisted they would not step aside for the new power blocs.

The coalition leaders had also earlier considered adopting the Social Democratic Party to be their platform of choice, before courting the ADC following concerns about Tinubu’s influence within the SDP.

The National Secretary of the SDP, Olu Agunloye, had declared that the party would not enter into any merger or adopt external takeover models, which he said Atiku and others wanted.

Responding to an enquiry from Sunday PUNCH, the former minister said the anti-Tinubu coalition didn’t abandon or jettison the ADC.

“All options are on the table. We didn’t abandon any party. Options have been placed on the table for general consideration, appraisal, and final decision. So, nothing is abandoned, nothing is jettisoned, nothing is overruled.

“The registration of a new party is one of the considerable options on the table. No party is set aside,” he stated.

Similarly, the ADC National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, said the move to register a new party by the coalition leaders was not a threat to an existing agreement with his party.

He said the ADC was involved in every move by the anti-Tinubu group.

“The coalition has passed the speculation stage. It is now mapping out actions and strategies for the future of the country, and ADC is involved.

“ADC brings a lot more than you can imagine to the table. So, the new party registration is not a threat to us. Not at all,” he added.

Commenting on the development on Saturday, the National Secretary of the APC, Ajibola Basiru, said he hoped that the coalition’s move would stop the anti-Tinubu elements from accusing the President of attempting to impose a one-party system on the country.

“It is part of the exercise of their democratic rights, and it is hoped they will stop gaslighting the APC with the unfounded allegation of foisting a one-party state,” he said.