The League of Northern Democrats (LND) has announced plans to become a political party.
It would be recalled that LND started as a pro-northern group promoting good governance and was spearhead by the former Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, and some northern politicians.
Convener of the LND, Dr. Umar Ardo, in a statement in Abuja stated: “The PDP and APC, along with other existing political parties, have not only failed to address Nigeria’s fundamental challenges, but have also, over the years, not shown sign or intention to ever do so”
The group also expressed a desire to transform into the League of National Democrats, with support from like minds in Southern Nigeria.
This, it said, would help build a political party strong enough to break the vice-like grip of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on the nation’s polity.
Ardo stated further “Their methods of governance have, throughout, been marked by absence of patriotism and sacrifice.
‘’The two parties, since their inceptions, have become more entrenched in self-service and dishonesty in leadership, particularly after the Obasanjo presidency.
“These parties have become instruments of imposition, where leadership selection is driven by personal ambition and manipulation, rather than merit or democratic consensus.
“Their internal systems reward loyalty over competence, perpetuating governance that prioritises patronage over public interest; and both parties have consistently produced leaders more interested in consolidating power than addressing the socio-economic realities of Nigerians.
“This trajectory has resulted in deepening poverty, heightened insecurity, eroded public trust and a national psyche weighed down by despair and cynicism. Clearly, Nigeria’s progress demands a radical departure from this failing paradigm.”
He described the New Year message by the former APC National Vice Chairman (North West), Salihu Lukman, in which he called for decisive action to address these challenges as apt.
Ardo noted that the call for an alternative platform to tackle the nation’s problems could not have come at a better time.
“This clarion call resonates deeply with the aspirations of many Nigerians yearning for a break from the vicious cycle of ineffectual governance of the PDP and APC, and especially among northerners.
“In response to this demand, some critical and credible elites in the north came up with the League of Northern Democrats, LND, as the most viable alternative political platform, offering a pathway to national redemption”.
