BARRING a last-minute change, leaders of the coalition under works by some notable opposition politicians ahead of the 2027 elections are expected to meet in Abuja today, as part of the ongoing process of harmonization.
The meeting is coming amid the options being considered by the leaders to either approach the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC) for the registration of a new party or adopt any of the existing opposition parties as platform to tackle President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 presidency.
Meanwhile, one of the leaders perceived to be the rallying force in the politics of the South-South is said to be the latest prominent politician said to be in favour of the coalition.
His decision to back the movement followed what he considered as the unbridled intrigues being deployed by the power brokers in the APC to overrun the South-South, preparatory to the 2027 general election.
Close allies of the South-South leader said he wants to safeguard his personal political interest and future, in spite of his seeming rapport with the authorities at the corridors of power in Abuja.
Last week, one of the leaders of the coalition, who doubles as the convener of the League of Northern Democrats (LND), Umar Ardo, confirmed that the promoters were yet to decide on which of the options to adopt.
His clarification followed different media reports concerning the platform as one of the faces behind the coalition and former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai had said other politicians were to join him after his defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-governors of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi, and Nasir El-Rufai, 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, are among the other politicians involved in the ongoing discussion to form the coalition.
Ardo had said the leaders have not been able to reach a consensus on the option of fusing into any of the fringe parties or register a new party.
He explained that while most of the members and leaders of the coalition were in support of fusing into an existing political party, others prefer the registration of a new party.
“I think the coalition will stand. At the formative stage, you usually have these hiccups, but over time, they will shape up. And basically, the coalition is in place, but it’s just divided on the basis of ideology. Well, when I say ideology, I say, I mean approach — how to approach the politics.
“Predominant members and even leaders of the coalition are in support of fusing into an existing political party, and another group, which I belong to, is in support of registering a whole new political party.
“This is actually where things stand, and I don’t know what the ultimate decision will be by the leaders and key stakeholders and movers of the coalition. But we insist, from our side, that our approach of establishing a new political party by the coalition is the best way to approach this transitional politics, and it is, for me, almost certain of victory,” he said.
and then