Opposition Coalition in Dilemma over Choice of New Party, Fails to Meet 

• Atiku, Tambuwal, Oyegun, Aregbesola differ with Amaechi’s camp over party

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The National Opposition Coalition Group led by the former Senate President, Senator David Mark, which had fixed a meeting for Friday, May 30, 2025, to decide on the choice of political party to be adopted by the coalition, failed to meet as scheduled, THISDAY has learnt.

The coalition had wanted to decide either to join an existing political party – African Democratic Congress (ADC) or the Social Democratic Party (SDP), or to register a new political party. 

The failure of the group to meet, it was learnt, followed the inability of the members to reach an agreement on the available options.

THISDAY gathered that the discussions between the group and the SDP, which were led by a former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai have reached a dead end.

It was also learnt that the League of Northern Democrats (LND), which is clamouring for the registration of new party, seems to be making concrete progress as many members of the coalition, who had preferred joining an existing political party have shifted ground. 

The push for the coalition to join the ADC was being championed by former vice president, Atiku Abubukar; former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and ex-Governor of Edo State, Chief John Oyegun; former governor of Sokoto State and ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Tambuwal and former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola.

However, former governor of Rivers State and immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and others have thrown their weight behind the registration of a new party, Alliance for Democratic Alliance (ADA)

The position of Amaechi camp was said to have been boosted by a written submission to the National Opposition Coalition Group’s leadership, by a select member of the LND.

In the document submitted on May 29 and signed by the Convener, LND, Dr. Umar Ardo; Chairman, LND Security Committee, Air Vice Marshal Monday Morgan (rtd.); member, LND Strategic Planning Committee, Dr. Mohammed Tumala; among others, the group stated that the clamour for the registration of a new party was necessitated by the need to avoid what they described as “systemic crisis and leadership crisis currently facing the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP). 

”After an exhaustive internal review, wide consultations and critical evaluation of the strategic pathways available to the National Opposition Coalition Group ahead of the 2027 general elections, we, select members of the LND in furtherance to our 22 May resolutions, hereby issue the following unanimous resolutions: “We conclude that it is best advantageous for the opposition to register a new party platform, presenting the most viable, principled and sustainable path forward,” the group said.

”The ADC, SDP and similar existing parties already possess entrenched ward, local government, state and zonal structures whose leadership tenures remain legally binding and often deeply resistant to reform. For instance, the ADC Chairman in Adamawa State publicly declared that his mandate, secured in December 2022 in the Zaria convention, remains valid until December 2026; by which time the nominations were long over. This reality exists across the country in all existing parties.

“Fusing into such parties without full and prior harmonisation of interests and control of these structures invites chaos, factionalism, litigation and paralysis.

“We note the unfortunate breakdown of the NNPP fusion arrangement involving Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, which devolved into disputes over leadership and candidacy even before primaries were concluded. “Without sounding negative, the same fate may well befall any hasty fusion lacking ideological clarity or unified control.

“Contrary to certain fears, the timeframe between now and the 2027 elections is sufficient for a serious and focused coalition to register and build a credible new political party. Nigeria’s democratic space provides adequate legal and operational room to do so, as long as the process begins now,” the group added.