The League of Northern Democrats (LND), led by former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, has declared its willingness to join the emerging coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but only on the condition that a new political party is formed.
This stance was made public on Sunday through a statement jointly signed by the group’s convener, Umar Ardo, and 12 other senior members of the LND. According to the statement, the group arrived at the decision after carefully weighing the pros and cons of various coalition strategies.
The coalition in question is being championed by prominent political figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi. There have been discussions around adopting existing platforms like the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2027 general elections.
However, the LND insists that without the formation of an entirely new political party, it will not participate in the coalition.
“We have concluded that establishing a fresh political platform offers the most principled and forward-looking path,” Ardo stated.
He cited potential challenges with merging into existing parties such as ADC or SDP, pointing out that both have entrenched leadership structures that could lead to legal conflicts and internal divisions within the alliance.
“Merging with such parties without first achieving total harmonisation of interests and control would invite internal conflicts, legal battles, and possible dysfunction,” Ardo warned.
Despite these concerns, Ardo expressed confidence that there is still sufficient time before the 2027 elections to register a new party and build the momentum needed to provide a strong opposition to the APC.
He emphasized that starting with a clean slate would give the coalition the best chance to unite various interests and mount a credible challenge in the coming elections.
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