A new political coalition is beginning to take shape in Nigeria, one that could fundamentally reshape the 2027 general elections. Known as the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), this emerging force has officially applied for registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), signaling a bold intention to challenge both the ruling APC and the ever-waning PDP.
According to documents submitted on June 20, 2025, ADA presented its name, proposed logo, slogan, “Justice for All”, as well as its constitution and manifesto. Behind this fresh political vehicle are some of the nation’s most familiar heavyweights: former Senate President David Mark, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and policy intellectual Dr. Umar Ardo.
These are not accidental bedfellows, they represent a deliberate realignment of Nigeria’s political elites, now trying to forge a new coalition strong enough to break the old two-party stranglehold. And this movement is not just theoretical, it’s strategic.
As part of this broader opposition reconfiguration, the ADA has already announced key regional figures across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones:
NORTH
North East: Atiku Abubakar
North Central: David Mark
North West: Nasir El-Rufai
SOUTH
South South: Rotimi Amaechi
South East: Peter Obi
South West: Rauf Aregbesola
At first glance, it appears like a carefully curated national spread, balancing power, influence, and regional sentiment. But for those who understand Nigeria’s political chessboard, this is not just an inclusion list, it is a soft launch of a shadow presidency, and a blueprint of power calculations in motion. It is 2014 all over again, only smarter, better funded, and more intentional.
And the question is: Will the Igbos get it right this time?
Let’s not forget. In 2014, when the APC emerged as a formidable coalition, the South East, emotionally tied to Goodluck Jonathan, failed to strategically align. While the North and South West negotiated their way into power, the Igbos offered blind loyalty, expecting a reward that never came. What followed was a decade of political wilderness, no significant federal presence, no senior ministerial leverage, no major infrastructural bargaining chip. Just marginalization, complaints, and hindsight.
Now, in 2025, the danger of déjà vu is real. Yes, Peter Obi is listed as the zonal leader for the South East within this new coalition. But presence alone does not equal power. Inclusion without unity, without negotiation, without leverage, is just optics.
Obi, while popular among the masses, is entering a coalition where others, Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi, Mark, have the full weight of political machinery, patronage networks, and elite consensus behind them. The South East remains fractured: split across parties, fixated on personality politics, and too often guided by sentiment instead of strategy.
If Ndigbo fail to consolidate, to form a unified front, and to define non-negotiable regional interests within ADA or outside it, they may once again become spectators in a game where they have the numbers, the talent, but not the power.
ADA’s message of “Justice for All” will ring hollow for the South East unless the region actively engages, not as tokens or emotional figures, but as strategic power brokers. This is not the time to argue about who among us is more “popular” or “authentic.” This is the time to negotiate real political equity in exchange for support, ministry slots, economic guarantees, security restructuring, and infrastructural commitments.
What the North is doing is clear: it is consolidating across parties, unifying old enemies for the sake of power. The South West is hedging its bets and preparing for post-Tinubu leadership. The South South is calculating leverage. The question remains: what exactly is the South East doing, besides watching?
INEC’s response to ADA’s registration may still be pending, but one thing is already clear: the race to 2027 has begun. Coalitions are forming. Deals are being cut. Power is shifting. And history is calling on the Igbo nation one more time, to learn, to act, and to lead with strategy, not nostalgia.
If we miss this moment again, we may spend another 10 years complaining from the sidelines while other regions define Nigeria’s next chapter.
The choice is ours. Sentiment or strategy. Emotion or engagement. Silence or negotiation.
The window is open, but not for long.
By Hon. Chimazuru Nnadi-Oforgu
“Duruebube Uzii na Abosi”
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
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