An incoming political party, All Democratic Alliance (ADA) has urged Nigerians to reject the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stressing that the 2027 election must not be business as usual.
The national secretary of the “party”, Dr Umar Ardo, who rallied the Nigerian elite to join their fold, said the bondage which both parties have subjected Nigeria to must be broken.
ADA was among 14 other parties that got provisional registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last week. The party which has Chief Akin A. Ricketts as protem and Ardo as national secretary, has its headquarters in Abuja.
The party lamented that despite Nigeria’s vast human and natural resources, since the nation’s return to democracy in 1999, it has, for the most part, been on a relentless drift into economic bankruptcy, political instability, social unrest and disunity, chaos, violence and retardation.
The party secretary added that by all human standards, Nigeria ought to be in the league of highly developed nations, proudly standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s most advanced economies.
Decrying the level of poverty, insecurity, hunger, instability and disillusionment, Ardo blamed the situation on a visionless, venal, corrupt, supine, insensitive and banal political class which has taken siege of the country for over two decades.
He said, “Now, as 2027 looms, we are witnessing the same tragic cycle unfolding again. The very politicians who created this disaster – those who wrecked the present and mortgaged the future – are once again jostling feverishly for power under the banners of the old political platforms that they used to destroy the country – ie. APC, PDP and sundry! The nation watches helplessly, as if spellbound by a curse.”
He stressed that if the curse must be broken, the active participation of patriotic elites is essential.
“Hence, to Nigeria’s true patriots, professionals, intellectuals, journalists, entrepreneurs, religious clerics, all men and women of conscience, as critical stakeholders of the Nigerian project, we say this is your moment.
“You must all come out to participate in the political process! History is watching. Posterity is recording. The failure to act now will condemn you as accomplices in the destruction of your country. Silence is no longer golden; it is betrayal! Indifference is no longer safe; it is cowardice!
The time has come for you to unite, to join forces, to step into the arena, so that together we help wrest Nigeria from the claws of her predators.”
He said some of them have long been in the trenches to ensure that this bondage is broken.
“To this end we have been able to mobilize likeminded patriots across the country to register a political platform under which to achieve this noble aim.
“Hence, our formation of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA). We thank God that our efforts have started bearing fruits as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given ADA a provisional approval.”
He said ADA is not just another party but a moral rebirth of the nation, further describing it as the rallying point for every patriotic Nigerian elite who still believes in truth, justice, service and sacrifice.
“This is our chance to salvage democracy and rebuild Nigeria. And we call on all patriots to join forces with us under the ADA platform not just to rescue the country but to also get her thrive,” he said
Noting that the hour of decision is now, he said Nigeria cannot afford another wasted election cycle.
“2027 must not be business as usual. The recycled politicians of APC, PDP and sundry have forfeited every moral right to lead this country. They have failed, and failed woefully.
“Their continued grip on power is a death sentence for Nigeria’s survival as a nation. But a new dawn is possible – if the patriotic elites, men and women, and the Nigerian youths, unite under one banner, the ADA banner! Together, we can birth a political renaissance rooted in justice, sacrifice, innovation, unity and service. And together, we can pull our people,” he said.