The Labour Party (LP) and the Action Democratic Party (ADP) have concluded discussions to jointly host a national political conference aimed at forming a Ballot Alliance for Good Governance (BAFOGG), a new electoral collaboration framework designed to promote consensus candidates, joint voter education, and coordinated campaigns.
The initiative is expected to debut during the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, and later extend to the Osun State governorship election on August 8, 2026, with further plans to cover subsequent elections nationwide.
The decision followed an inaugural consultation between leaders of both parties, held in Abuja on Wednesday. The Labour Party was represented by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Prince Tony Akeni, while Hon. Chinazam Ike represented the ADP.
Addressing journalists, Prince Akeni described the Ballot Alliance as a novel democratic experiment in Nigeria’s political history. He explained that unlike conventional party mergers—which require changes to party identity, constitution, and registration documents—the Ballot Alliance is a voluntary agreement among political parties and their grassroots supporters.
According to him, the arrangement allows participating parties to adopt the most viable and electorally acceptable candidate among their contenders for a specific office, without any party relinquishing its identity or platform.
Akeni said the concept was developed to prevent opposition parties from splitting votes and inadvertently enabling unpopular or oppressive candidates to win elections. Under the model, parties in a constituency would agree on a consensus candidate ahead of elections, mobilise collectively, protect votes jointly, and ensure transparent counting and declaration of results.
He added that such collaboration would also include pre-election agreements and post-victory power-sharing arrangements where necessary, helping to strengthen trust and unity among parties.
“If consistently applied from council to governorship and legislative elections, this model will deepen opposition politics, strengthen multi-party democracy, and open the political space for competent citizens to emerge regardless of party affiliation,” Akeni said.
Speaking after the consultation, Hon. Chinazam Ike, National Youth Leader of the ADP and Chairman of Youth Leaders of all Political Parties in Nigeria, emphasized the central role of young voters in the success of the initiative.
He said Nigerian youths constitute the largest voting bloc and could drive rapid political transformation if they embrace the Ballot Alliance concept. According to him, good governance would become achievable within a short period if youth participation aligns with strategic electoral cooperation.
Chinazam revealed that the BAFOGG framework would be tested as a multi-tier pilot project, beginning with the FCT Area Council elections, followed by governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states.
He stressed that the alliance would be inclusive, extending even to major parties such as the APC and PDP, noting that good and poor performers exist across all political platforms.
“The alliance will support candidates based on performance and credibility, not party labels. Any candidate delivering real development deserves support,” he said.
He concluded that the ultimate goal of BAFOGG is to ensure that Nigerians elect leaders genuinely committed to good governance, accountability, and service delivery, irrespective of political affiliation.
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