Jane Salihu
Senator Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is set to host a major reunion of former leaders and members of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) as the political group seeks to revive its democratic ideals and contribute fresh ideas to Nigeria’s political direction.
The Epochal Homecoming Reunion of the Old Guard Alliance for Democracy, being convened under the aegis of the National Democratic Congress, is themed “Reclaiming Our Moral Mandate: A National Democratic Conversation for a Reborn Polity.”
According to a circular issued on Friday by Dr Manzo Abubakar, former AD Senatorial Candidate and Leader of the Northern Caucus of the Alliance for Democracy, the gathering is intended to go beyond a celebration of the past, with participants expected to examine the state of Nigeria’s democracy and explore practical ways of strengthening the country’s political future.
Senator Dickson is listed as the Chief Host, while Chief Michael Odurinde, Senior Special Adviser to the late Pa Ayo Adebanjo, seniormost Afenifere chieftain and founding father of the Alliance for Democracy, will serve as the Father of the Day.
The reunion is expected to bring together former members of the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee of the Alliance for Democracy, alongside prominent politicians, intellectuals and pro-democracy activists from across the six geopolitical zones.
Among those expected at the gathering are Ambassador Mamman Yusuf, Comrade Usman Adamu Song and Professor Udenta Udenta, who served as the first National Secretary of the Alliance for Democracy.
The organisers said the convocation was being organised at a time when Nigeria’s political space was increasingly characterised by transactional politics and weakened ideological commitment, making it necessary for political actors to revisit the principles that shaped the country’s pro-democracy struggle.
They described the Alliance for Democracy as a major platform of the pro-democracy movement of the Fourth Republic, stressing that its democratic legacy still carries relevance to the present political environment.
According to the organisers, the reunion will provide a platform for participants to “harmonise experience with vision, memory with mandate and legacy with responsibility.”
The National Democratic Conversation will also interrogate the present democratic dispensation and seek strategic approaches capable of producing credible, people-centred and electorally sustainable political outcomes.
Rather than dwelling on past political achievements, the organisers said the gathering would focus on converting the experience of the old guard into ideas and strategies capable of influencing contemporary political discourse.
They said the objective was to move from criticism of the existing political order to constructive engagement and leadership.
“Let this be the moment we move from commentary to construction, from lamentation to leadership,” the organisers stated.
The gathering is expected to draw other leading lights of the Alliance for Democracy tradition, as well as democrats of good conscience interested in contributing to a renewed national political conversation.
