El-Rufai: I Doubt INEC Leadership Under This Government Will Approve Registration Of Our New Party
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has expressed deep scepticism about the willingness of the current administration and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow the registration of a new political party by the emerging opposition coalition gearing up for the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in an interview on ARISE NEWS on Monday, El-Rufai said that although he and other key opposition figures are actively considering forming a new political platform, he fears that the Tinubu-led administration may deliberately frustrate the process to weaken credible opposition.
He said, “Many of us do not believe that under the current leadership of INEC, a new party will be registered because Dr. Mahmoud Yakubu is not Jega, and President Tinubu is not Jonathan. Those were the people in charge when the APC was registered.
“Many were pessimistic about the prospects of registering a new party. But we said, let’s try it anyway. Let’s show that INEC is not independent. Let’s show that this government is interfering to ensure there is no opposition. So we are pursuing both paths. And if both become available, then the leadership will then sit down and consult and take their views to the plenary, and a decision will be taken.”
The former governor, who is working alongside prominent figures such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, said they are currently choosing between reviving an existing platform like the SDP or ADC and pursuing registration of a new party tentatively named the African Democratic Assembly (ADA).
El-Rufai clarified that the ongoing coalition discussions are being driven by individuals, not political parties, stressing that once a platform is chosen, every member of the coalition will leave their current political affiliations.
“We are not engaging in a merger. I am part of the leadership, but I’m not there representing SDP. I’m there as an individual with some political weight, no matter how small, in my state or in the Northwest. So this is how all the groups, how the coalition is formed. It has nothing to do with parties. But we all agreed that if we are able to come to a consensus about the political party to go into, we will leave our parties and join with all our followers.”
His comments reflect growing concerns within the opposition that democratic processes, including party registration, may be manipulated ahead of 2027.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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