Registration of political parties: ‘Yakubu is not Jega and Tinubu is not Jonathan’ – El-Rufai

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Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has questioned if the Bola Tinubu-led government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will consent to the establishment of a new political party for the opposition coalition in advance of the general elections in 2027.

El-Rufai stated in an interview on Arise TV on Monday that the coalition, which consists of opposition leaders like Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Peter Obi, and Atiku Abubakar, is actively considering forming a new party to oppose the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but is concerned that government meddling could delay the process.

He said,“Many of us do not believe that under the current leadership of INEC, a new party will be registered because Dr. Mahmoud Yakubu is not Jega, and President Tinubu is not Jonathan. Those were the people in charge when the APC was registered.”

Despite their skepticism, coalition members are ready to test the waters and reveal what they believe to be a tainted electoral body, El-Rufai added.

He said,“Many were pessimistic about the prospects of registering a new party. But we said, let’s try it anyway. Let’s show that INEC is not independent. Let’s show that this government is interfering to ensure there is no opposition.

“So we are pursuing both paths. And if both become available, then the leadership will sit down, consult, and take their views to the plenary, and a decision will be taken.”

According to El-Rufai, the alliance is now divided on whether to register a new platform called the African Democratic Assembly (ADA) or revive an existing party like the Social Democratic Party (SDP) or African Democratic Congress (ADC).

According to him, the coalition’s approach is based on adaptability, making sure that every possibility is considered in order to create a cohesive and believable opposition force.

The former minister emphasized that the current coalition negotiations are led by individuals with clout in their particular political zones rather than being party-based.

He clarified, “We are not engaging in a merger.

“I am part of the leadership, but I’m not there representing SDP. I’m there as an individual with some political weight, no matter how small, in my state or in the Northwest. So this is how the coalition is formed. It has nothing to do with parties.”

He went on to say that coalition members will abandon their present political parties and transfer collectively to the chosen vehicle as soon as a platform is decided.

“We all agreed that if we are able to come to a consensus about the political party to go into, we will leave our parties and join with all our followers,” he said.

He added that once a platform is chosen, coalition members will leave their current political parties and move en masse to the agreed vehicle.

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