As part of the preparation to contest in the 2027 elections and wrestle power from President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the National Opposition Coalition Group, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has formally written the Independent National Electoral Commission, applying for the registration of a new political party named the All Democratic Alliance (ADA).

The application, dated June 19, 2025, and duly acknowledged by INEC, was jointly signed by the party’s protem national chairman, Akin A. Rickets, and protem national secretary, Abdullahi Elayo.

“We respectfully write to the Independent National Electoral Commission, requesting the registration of our association, the All Democratic Alliance, as a political party,” the application read. “This is a sequel to the decision taken by the Nigerian National Coalition Group to sponsor our association for full registration.”

The coalition noted that the name of the party shall be All Democratic Alliance with ADA as its acronym and ‘Justice for All’ as its slogan.

The application continued, “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.”

The formal application came weeks after coalition members, including Mr Abubakar, Peter Obi and former Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi, held a meeting in Abuja as part of their moves to challenge Mr Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Last month, Mr El-Rufai, formerly of the APC and a one-time ally of Mr Tinubu, said he and other opposition figures also held a nocturnal meeting on how to oust the incumbent president from office in 2027.

However, Mr Amaechi recently accused INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, of blocking the registration of new political parties.

The former transportation minister said Mr Tinubu’s administration was notorious for disregarding laws, accusing it of using the electoral system as a machine to stifle opposition and enslave Nigerians – an allegation Mr Tinubu denied.