A new socio-political advocacy group, Partners for Democratic Advancement (PDA), has been formally launched with the appointment of Prof Lanre Aladeitan as its pioneer national coordinator, signalling an organised push to promote civic engagement and provide constructive support for the reform agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
The appointment was approved over the weekend by the organisation’s highest decision-making body, according to a statement issued on Monday by PDA’s Director of Communications and Media, Pelumi Olajengbesi.
The group said it aims to strengthen democratic stability by building citizens’ confidence in leadership, encouraging national unity and promoting accountability in governance.
Olajengbesi said PDA would mobilise professionals and non-partisan Nigerians to conduct objective assessments of government performance while offering fact-based policy support to the current administration. He added that the organisation would also focus on youth participation in governance through education, advocacy and community outreach, as well as countering misinformation through evidence-led public communication.
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Other stated objectives include strengthening citizen–government engagement by creating platforms for dialogue at national and community levels, supporting peace-building initiatives, and promoting responsible democratic advocacy.
Aladeitan, who will lead the group at the national level, is a senior lecturer in the Department of Public and International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Abuja. He is a member of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Bar Association, the Association of MBAs, the International Council of Small Businesses, the Debt Recovery Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria, the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, and the Institute of Energy Law.
The organisation also announced a broad leadership team spanning programmes, mobilisation, finance, legal affairs and inclusion. Appointments include Femi Osabinu, Ibrahim Ibrahim and Igwe Umanta as deputy national coordinators; Etsu Muhammed as national secretary, with Owobu Godday as deputy; and Prof John Onah as director of programmes, supported by Komolafe Francis.
Yinka Dada was named director of national mobilisation, with Ankeli Echo as deputy, while Kehinde Ali-Immanuel and Balaraba Sadaat will oversee finance as director and deputy director respectively. Farida Jauro and Chidinma Ogwo were appointed to lead women’s affairs, while Henry Oni Out and Umar Liman will head legal affairs.
Partners for Democratic Advancement positions itself as a non-partisan platform, seeking to bridge civic participation and policy reform amid ongoing debates about governance, economic restructuring and democratic consolidation in Nigeria.
