Two political associations seeking registration as political parties have submitted applications to the Independent National Electoral Commission using identical acronyms, potentially creating confusion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The competing groups both seek to use the “ADA” abbreviation despite representing different political entities.
The first group, the All Democratic Alliance, is being promoted by Chief Akin Ricketts and is reportedly being considered as a potential platform by anti-Tinubu political coalitions. This version of ADA appears as number 109 on INEC’s official list of political associations seeking registration.
The second group, the Advanced Democratic Alliance (also ADA), appears immediately after as number 110 on INEC’s published list. This organization lists Alhaji Ahmadu Suleiman as its Protem Chairman and Zipporah Pius Miracles as Secretary.
The two ADAs maintain separate headquarters in Abuja’s central business district. The Ricketts-led All Democratic Alliance operates from the Ground Floor of the UAC Complex at Plot 273 Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun Street, while Suleiman’s Advanced Democratic Alliance is based at 1 Frandriance Close, Off Oda Crescent in Wuse 2.
This development comes as INEC faces a surge of registration requests from political associations ahead of the 2027 elections. The electoral body has received applications from no fewer than 110 groups seeking recognition as official political parties. The duplicate acronym situation presents a unique administrative challenge for INEC, which typically requires distinct identifiers for registered parties to prevent voter confusion.
The Ricketts ADA’s potential connection to opposition coalitions adds another layer of complexity to the situation, as political observers watch to see if this becomes a significant platform ahead of 2027. Meanwhile, the Suleiman-led ADA presents itself as an independent political vehicle, though its exact ideological positioning remains unclear at this early stage.
