Umar Ardo Alleges Key Roles for Atiku, Amaechi in ADA Registration Attempt
A leading promoter of the unregistered All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Umar Ardo, has provided detailed accounts of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi’s involvement in the party’s efforts to secure registration with Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Wednesday, Ardo stated that Amaechi chaired a committee formed to process ADA’s registration application, while Atiku nominated a representative who served on that committee. Ardo claimed he himself acted as the committee’s secretary.
According to his narrative, the committee completed its work and submitted the necessary application documents to INEC. Ardo asserted that the initial concept to form ADA originated with him and that he vigorously advocated for it within a broader opposition coalition.
He alleged, however, that coalition members subsequently lost interest in the new party. Ardo claimed Amaechi then shifted allegiance to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he intended to pursue a presidential candidacy. He added that Atiku’s nominated committee member also moved to the ADC and was appointed to a leadership position within that party.
Despite these high-profile departures, Ardo said ADA promoters moved quickly to replace the exiting committee members and resubmitted their registration paperwork to INEC. He suggested the former members’ subsequent reported interest in rejoining ADA was a tactical move to influence an ongoing court case.
“The idea of the registration of the ADA was mine, and I pushed it very forcefully to the coalition,” Ardo stated. “So when the coalition came and said they are no longer interested in it, Amaechi moved in… Just because these people have moved out, that shouldn’t kill the registration of the ADA. We now quickly met and then made substitution and submitted.”
The process of registering a political party with INEC is a critical step for formal participation in Nigeria’s electoral system. Ardo’s comments shed light on the internal dynamics and challenges within opposition efforts to coalesce into a new political entity. The status of ADA’s application and the implications of the alleged committee substitutions remain points of interest as the party’s formal recognition by the electoral body is pending.
