The intrigues over the 2027 elections took a fresh twist yesterday as the League of Northern Democrats (LND) resolved to register a new political party.
The group said it decided to float the new party to accommodate many independent members of the larger established political parties who are reluctant to move into a smaller party but who are willing to move out to form a new party.
The group, however, said it would fuse into an existing party as a primary and necessary alternative to forming a new platform.
This was contained in a communique released by the group after its meeting in Abuja on Thursday. The LND meeting chaired by its chairman, former Kano State Governor, Sen. Ibrahim Shekarau, had 147 of its members in attendance.
The group also said it would back a National Opposition Coalition Group chaired by Sen. President David Mark to drive the transitional politics towards the 2027 general election.
LND’s resolve to form a new political party and engage in ongoing coalition talks, adds to moves to form an opposition coalition to oust the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, leads a group of opposition politicians, including former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi; and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai in a coalition move.
Meanwhile, the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), distancing itself from Atiku-led talks, maintained that it would join any coalition.
Interestingly, the PDP Senate Caucus, on Tuesday, said while it is not opposed to a coalition, it must be party-driven and not individuals-driven.
According to the communique signed by Shekarau and Dr. Umar Ardo (Convener), LND said, “We resolved to contribute in the dialogue on either registering a new political party or fuse into an existing one;
“We resolved that our first option is to register a new party in order to accommodate many independent members of the larger established political parties who currently feel reluctant to move into a smaller party but who are willing to move out to form a new party; In the alternative, to fuse into an existing party as a primary and necessary alternative.
“We resolved to support the National Opposition Coalition Group chaired by Sen. President David Mark in driving the transitional politics towards the 2027 general elections.”
The group further resolved to coordinate a meeting of larger various northern groups as agreed a few weeks ago in the ACF meeting in Kaduna to solidify northern positions.
“We resolve to mobilize Northern Nigerians to pressure the government, particularly the NASS leadership, to uphold the provisions of the Constitution which they swore to do;
“To this end, we resolve to mobilize Nigerians to a civil resistance against the leaderships of NASS to force them to declare the seats of all the legislators in Delta and Kebbi states who cross carpeted to other political parties as stipulated by Sections of the constitution.”
LND also said it would engage the 19 Northern governors on their seeming inertia to the terrible situation in the North – endemic poverty, state of destitution of our people, insecurity, unemployment, and the appalling economic crisis in the region, which we concluded is as a result of poor governance at the state and local government levels.
