Yan Nigeria
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has ruled out the formation of a new political party ahead of the 2027 general elections, confirming instead that his opposition coalition will merge with an existing political platform to fast-track preparations.
Naija News reports that Lawal disclosed this in an interview with Vanguard, explaining that the group had weighed its options and concluded that registering a new party would be impractical given time constraints and the urgency to consolidate forces before the next election cycle.
“We’ve concluded that we are joining an existing party. Critical members have already resigned to make room for new leadership.
“We’re finalising the list of leaders for key positions such as chairman, secretary, organising secretary, and treasurer,” Lawal said.
According to Lawal, the coalition initially considered two options, registering a new party or merging with an existing one. But after reviewing the legal bottlenecks and internal crises plaguing many platforms, the coalition settled for one with “minimal complications.”
“Some parties had court cases, leadership tussles, or were simply unwilling to make room for us. But we’ve found one that is both welcoming and viable,” he stated.
He confirmed that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Working Committee (NWC) have already met and made provisions to receive new members from the coalition.
Lawal also took aim at a splinter group led by Dr. Usman Ardo, Convener of the League of Northern Democrats, who is pushing for the registration of a new party, the All Democratic Alliance (ADA).
He accused Ardo of falsely name-dropping key political figures such as Rotimi Amaechi, Nasir El-Rufai, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi to lend credibility to his group’s efforts.
“Ardo has been name-dropping without authorisation. While we can’t stop him from trying to register a party, we’re focused on what is realistic. There’s simply not enough time to register and stabilise a new party before the 2027 election campaigns begin,” Lawal insisted.
The former SGF clarified that political heavyweights such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi are part of the coalition “as individuals,” not as emissaries of the PDP or Labour Party, respectively.
“Many of us are former APC members. Atiku and Obi are with us, but not as official emissaries of their current platforms. This is an independent initiative aimed at providing a genuine alternative for Nigerians,” he said.
Commenting on the internal wrangling within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Lawal said the ongoing power tussle, especially the influence of Nyesom Wike, is likely to drive more members toward the emerging coalition.
“If Nyesom Wike takes over PDP, 90% of the members who oppose him won’t join APC. They’ll likely come to us, and that will significantly boost our strength,” he predicted.
Lawal concluded by confirming that the legal processes for the coalition’s merger are nearly complete. He reaffirmed the group’s resolve to build a credible and inclusive political platform capable of challenging the status quo in 2027.
“We believe this is the most practical and strategic path forward. Any claims to the contrary are either misinformed or deliberately misleading,” he added.
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