The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is set to convene an “Epochal Homecoming Reunion of the Old Guard” of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), bringing together surviving leaders and members of the pro-democracy movement for a national conversation on the future of Nigeria’s democracy.
The reunion, scheduled to hold under the theme, “Reclaiming Our Moral Mandate: A National Democratic Conversation for a Reborn Polity,” is aimed at drawing on the experience and ideological heritage of the Alliance for Democracy to address challenges confronting the country’s democratic development.
In a circular dated August 14, 2026, the organisers said the gathering would go beyond nostalgia and ceremonial activities, describing it as a deliberate effort to reclaim the political values and principles associated with the pro-democracy struggle of the Fourth Republic.
According to the organisers, the Alliance for Democracy remains an important moral force in Nigeria’s political history, particularly at a time they described as one characterised by transactional politics and declining ideological commitment.
The convocation is expected to bring together former members of the AD National Executive Committee and National Working Committee, as well as intellectuals, political leaders and other stakeholders from across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Chief Michael Odurinde, Senior Special Adviser to the late Pa Ayo Adebanjo, seniormost Afenifere chieftain and founding father of the Alliance for Democracy, is named as Father of the Day.
Senator Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the National Democratic Congress, is the Chief Host.
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 event would serve as a National Democratic Conversation designed to interrogate the current state of Nigeria’s democratic dispensation and develop strategies for achieving credible, people-centred and electorally sustainable political outcomes.
They said the gathering would seek to harmonise the experience of the old guard with the vision required to confront contemporary political challenges.
“Let this be the moment we move from commentary to construction, from lamentation to leadership,” the organisers said.
The event is being convened by a committee led by Dr Manzo Abubakar, former AD senatorial candidate and Leader of the Northern Caucus of the Alliance for Democracy.
Abubakar signed the circular on behalf of the Convening Committee of the National Democratic Congress, inviting stakeholders, former comrades of the pro-democracy struggle and Nigerians committed to democratic values to participate in the reunion.
