APC chieftain Osita Okechukwu says proposed All Democratic Alliance (ADA) will strengthen Tinubu’s 2027 chances and urges INEC to approve its registration
A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has welcomed the proposed All Democratic Alliance (ADA), saying its emergence would enhance President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 rather than threaten it.
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Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) described the multiparty initiative as “a welcome development,” and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to approve ADA’s registration request.
His comments came days after the National Opposition Coalition Group formally applied for the party’s registration in a letter dated June 19, jointly signed by Chief Akin A. Rickets (Protem National Chairman) and Abdullahi Elayo (Protem National Secretary).
The ADA is reportedly being considered as the rallying platform for a coalition of opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai.
But Okechukwu dismissed concerns about the platform’s potential impact on Tinubu’s prospects.
“My take on the formation of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) is that it is a welcome development. I am an apostle of a multiparty system, which allows all the flowers to blossom and all voices to be heard,” he said.
He argued that ADA’s strategy relies on flawed assumptions, particularly the belief that northern voters can be mobilised en masse solely on ethnic considerations.
“ADA promoters are benchmarking their strategy on the false premise that the northern electorate are quartered in dormitories and will be hauled to polling booths to vote for a would-be northern presidential candidate. The northern electorates are among the most sophisticated in our political landscape.”
Methinks sincerely that the ADA, contrary to their promoters’ success mindset, will enhance our party’s victory.
Responding to claims of northern discontent with Tinubu’s administration, Okechukwu challenged opposition narratives that dismiss ongoing developmental efforts.
“Is the village square story suggesting that the President’s major infrastructural development projects in both North and South are flukes? And that the geographical development commissions and financial autonomy for local governments are idle talk?”
He further criticised the alleged claim by ADA proponents that by 2027, the South would have ruled Nigeria for 17 years against the North’s 11.
Okechukwu labelled the argument a distortion of historical reality, noting that the North has led Nigeria longer since independence in 1960.
“That the North has presided over Nigeria more than the South was the premise for instituting the rotation convention in 1999,” he said.
When asked whether ADA might nominate a southerner to respect that zoning arrangement, Okechukwu expressed scepticism, suggesting that the group’s “huge appetite for power” may undermine inclusivity.
“Even if they float a southern candidate, one fears that their hunger for power will override any genuine effort to accommodate members from PDP, APGA, NNPP, and the Labour Party.”
The APC stalwart reaffirmed his belief that the ADA’s formation would ultimately work in APC’s favour, reinforcing Tinubu’s support base and providing voters with more options within a democratic framework.
He also reminded INEC of its independence and cited a Supreme Court ruling that favoured APC during its opposition days, saying the same legal precedent should guide ADA’s application.
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“INEC is independent and should not bother about APC’s position. The more, the merrier.”
