By Asiwaju (Engr.) Ojeshina Anthony
By every standard of law, logic and principle, the registration process of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) currently going on by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stands today as a clear case study in political consistency versus opportunism. In the context of Nigeria’s current opposition politics, it separates those who act out of conviction from those driven by convenience. At the heart of this distinction stands *Dr. Umar Ardo* – a critical figure within the opposition coalition who has stayed faithful to the cause of registering a new political party – the *ADA* – as the best form of pursuing the transitional politics towards 2027, even as others abandoned ship for the easier, more familiar route of fusing into an existing political party – the *African Democratic Congress (ADC)!*
2. Let us be clear: the facts are not in dispute. The coalition that originally agreed to midwife the registration of the *ADA* but later abandoned it. According to the press release issued by *Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi* on Thursday 25 September, “the coalition, having adopted the *ADC* as its official political platform for the off-season and general elections, has equally, officially withdrawn from pushing for the registration of the *All Democratic Alliance (ADA)”.* *Abdullahi* also disclosed that the National Caucus of the coalition had severed all ties, links and association with the *ADA*: “The Coalition has rested everything concerning the *ADA*. That means, they are not interested in the registration or otherwise of the association”, *Abdullahi* concluded in his press release.
3. That decision, by every logical and procedural measure, automatically dissolved the committee earlier constituted to pursue the *ADA* registration. The law recognizes no halfway allegiance. Once the coalition declared for the *ADC* and made that public pronouncement, its organs, committees and political instruments linked to *ADA* ceased to exist.
4. Indeed, *Gov. Rotimi Amaechi*, who chaired the said committee, is now a full-fledged member of the *ADC* and has openly declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election under that party’s banner. *Hon. Musa Elayo*, the protem secretary of *ADA*, likewise joined the *ADC* and has been appointed to its National Executive Committee, and has accordingly afterwards formally resigned from the *ADA*’s protem secretaryship. *Chief Akin Ricketts*, the protem chairman, was also publicly reported by a national newspaper to have joined the *ADC*; and since there has been no denial from him, it stands as an admitted fact.
5. So, what moral or legal basis remains for any of these individuals to now feign renewed interest in the *ADA* registration? The answer is simple – none whatsoever! The moment they took membership in the *ADC* they forfeited every claim, stake or right in the *ADA* project. Politics is not a game of duplicity. The law is explicit: no one can belong to two political parties at the same time! The Electoral Act frowns upon such duplicity, *INEC*’s Party Registration Regulations prohibit that, and the political morality of any serious democracy should too.
6. *Dr. Ardo* and many others, on the other hand, refused to follow the herd. Against all odds, distractions and pressures, they chose principle over opportunism. They remained unwavering in their belief that the *ADA* represented a distinct political vision; one that could not be substituted or diluted under another party’s umbrella. While most other coalition leaders were busy chasing ready-made platforms, *Dr. Ardo* and his team were painstakingly fulfilling every lawful requirement and ensuring that *ADA*’s application was properly submitted on INEC’s portal – the only process recognized by law! And they have successfully done so and duly got the formal acknowledgment of receipt by the commission.
7. Indeed, as legal precedents have affirmed, it is only the application uploaded on INEC’s portal that carries legal validity – not mere expressions of interest or verbal commitments – and there are higher court judgments to this! On this ground alone, therefore, the ADA registration currently stands on firmer footing than any belated claim of involvement by those who long abandoned the process.
8. Hence, what we are witnessing now is not a procedural misunderstanding, but a clash of values within the coalition group. On one side are those who traded conviction for convenience, dissolving into the ADC for personal political calculations. On the other stands a small band of patriots, led by Dr. Umar Ardo, who refused to compromise their belief in building a new, independent and principled political platform for Nigeria’s democratic renewal.
9. History often remembers not the majority who followed the wind, but the few who held their ground when it mattered most. The *ADA* project is not just about a name or registration – it is about integrity in public life, consistency in purpose and fidelity to a noble cause! In this regard, Dr. Ardo and his steadfast colleagues deserve commendation. They have demonstrated that what is morally wrong cannot, and should not, be politically right; and that political commitment is not measured by how loudly one declares allegiance, but by how firmly one stands when others fall away. As INEC concludes the registration process, Nigerians should take note: when the *ADC* bandwagon rolled by, most coalition leaders jumped aboard without hesitation. But a few, guided by conviction, chose instead to walk the harder path of principle. That is the spirit upon which great political movements are built.
10. The *All Democratic Alliance*, born of conviction, guided by virtue and sustained by integrity, must now march forward under the stewardship of those who believed in it when belief came at a cost. Those who left for convenience have written themselves out of its history, and must not be seen sabotaging and threatening this march. Let history, as always, be the final judge.