2027: Atiku, Obi, Makinde absent as opposition parties chart path to common candidate

The presidential candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar; Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi; and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, were absent as leaders of six major opposition parties converged on Abuja on Monday to begin a structured process towards building a united political platform ahead of the 2027 general election.

The first Summit of Nigeria’s Opposition Political Parties was held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, with representatives of the ADC, APM, NDC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) in attendance.

The summit was organised with the participation of the G100 and the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives as opposition politicians seek to avoid the vote fragmentation that characterised the 2023 presidential election.

Although Atiku, Obi and Makinde were not at the meeting, several presidential and vice-presidential candidates attended, alongside national working committee members and representatives of the boards of trustees of the participating parties.

Those in attendance included SDP presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo, PRP presidential candidate Donald Duke and APM vice-presidential candidate Lawal Musa Daura.

The discussions focused largely on developing a framework that would enable the opposition parties to coordinate their activities, resolve differences and eventually work towards a common presidential candidate for 2027.

Speaking on behalf of the G100, former APC National Vice Chairman Salihu Moh. Lukman proposed the establishment of a Government of National Competence anchored on a single four-year transition term.

Lukman said the proposal was designed to create a government based on competence, integrity, national inclusion and fair representation among parties participating in the proposed alliance.

He said the arrangement should be backed by an enforceable Transition Charter that would commit the parties to a single four-year term and prevent future disagreements from undermining the coalition.

According to Lukman, the opposition should avoid repeating the pattern of political agreements that depend solely on goodwill and personal assurances.

He argued that any agreement reached must be written, witnessed and enforceable, with clearly defined consequences for parties or individuals who violate its provisions.

Lukman also drew lessons from Nigeria’s previous elections, particularly the 2015 presidential election, when opposition parties successfully united under the All Progressives Congress (APC) to defeat the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

READ ALSO:

• Security Forces Rescue 10 NYSC Members from Kogi Forest
• Messi Retires from Argentina National Team for Second Time at 39
• IPOB Gives FG 14-Day Ultimatum to List Nnamdi Kanu’s Appeal or Face Election Boycott

He contrasted that outcome with the 2023 presidential election, when votes for major opposition candidates were divided among different platforms.

According to him, the combined votes of the leading opposition candidates were significantly higher than the votes secured by the eventual winner, but the fragmentation of those votes allowed the ruling party to emerge victorious under Nigeria’s electoral system.

Lukman described the 2023 outcome as an arithmetical lesson for the opposition, arguing that parties cannot expect to defeat an established political structure if they continue to divide their support base.

He also cited Kenya’s 2002 election and Malaysia’s 2018 political transition as examples of opposition forces defeating long-standing ruling parties after choosing cooperation over political fragmentation.

To give the proposed alliance a formal structure, the G100 recommended three standing bodies.

The first is a Central Leadership Committee, comprising national chairmen, national secretaries, presidential candidates and vice-presidential candidates of the participating parties. The committee would provide political direction and coordinate the coalition process.

The second is a Publicity and Communication Committee, which would coordinate joint messaging and communication among the participating parties.

The third is a Legal Committee, which would provide legal advice and coordinate legal strategies on matters relating to the proposed opposition cooperation.

The summit also agreed to establish five working groups, with each participating party expected to nominate one representative.

The groups are expected to produce working papers within four weeks covering a National Covenant for Democratic Renewal, Single-Term Transition Charter, National Reform Programme, Framework for Opposition Unity and Roadmap to a Common Presidential Candidate.

The documents are expected to form the basis for deliberations at a second opposition summit, where the parties would consider the next stage of the coalition process.

Lukman stressed that Monday’s meeting was not intended to force any political party to dissolve or merge with another.

He also clarified that the summit was not asking any presidential candidate to withdraw from the 2027 race immediately.

Instead, the immediate objective was to establish the rules and institutional framework that would allow the parties to negotiate their differences before addressing the question of a common presidential candidate.

Leading the House of Representatives Minority Caucus to the summit, Minority Leader Fred Agbedi urged opposition parties to close ranks and replicate the strategy that helped the APC defeat the PDP in 2015.

Agbedi said the Minority Caucus had decided to work with the G100 to help opposition parties streamline their ambitions and develop a collective strategy capable of producing victory in 2027.

READ ALSO:

• Tinubu’s FBI records: Reno Omokri explains why President opposes release
• Seyi Tinubu Can Change Things at NFF — Obafemi Martins Backs President’s Son for Football Reform
• “I Cursed the Pastor” — Yemi Solade Reveals Why He Quit Church 13 Years Ago

He warned that repeating the fragmentation of 2023 could again leave the opposition with millions of votes that would not translate into electoral victory.

Agbedi urged political leaders to put aside personal ambitions and focus on building a viable alternative to the ruling APC.

PRP presidential candidate Donald Duke also called for political leaders to subordinate individual ambitions to the broader interest of the country.

Duke said he was prepared to support any presidential candidate who emerges through a credible and jointly agreed process involving the participating parties.

He argued that political ego had repeatedly prevented opposition politicians from working together effectively.

Duke warned that the opposition would struggle to defeat the ruling party if individual politicians insisted on pursuing their ambitions independently.

Speaking on behalf of the ADC, its National Vice Chairman for the South-South, Usani Uguru Usani, expressed confidence in the coalition initiative but warned opposition politicians against internal attacks.

Usani said opposition figures were sometimes more focused on attacking one another than confronting the political challenges they collectively faced.

He urged the parties to concentrate on developing a credible alternative capable of winning the confidence of Nigerian voters.

APM National Chairman Yusuf Mamman Dantalle described the summit as an important development in Nigeria’s political history and urged participants to look beyond individual and party interests.

Representing the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP, its Board of Trustees Secretary, Dr Babangida Aliyu, commended the initiative and called for the coalition-building process to be extended to the state and local government levels.

PRP National Chairman Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed described the meeting as historic and said Nigerians were watching the opposition’s efforts closely.

He said the participating parties faced significant political and legal challenges but insisted that the coalition-building process would continue.

SDP National Chairman Prof. Sadiq Gombe also pledged his party’s commitment to the initiative, arguing that Nigerian voters had demonstrated a willingness to support credible alternatives.

NDC National Chairman Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, speaking on behalf of his party and Peter Obi, endorsed the coalition process and described it as an opportunity for opposition parties to develop a pathway towards addressing the country’s challenges.

READ ALSO:

• EFCC Recovers N1.23tn, $684m as Convictions Hit 10,872 in Three Years — Olukoyede
• NELFUND Boss Dismisses Misappropriation Claims, Insists All Payments Traceable Electronically
• ANTP Debunks Cancer Rumors as Actor Wale Elesho Undergoes Successful Facial Surgery

At the end of the meeting, the six parties adopted a Joint Communiqué committing themselves to a structured process of negotiation on opposition cooperation ahead of the 2027 election.

The parties formally established the Central Leadership Committee, Publicity and Communication Committee and Legal Committee.

They also agreed to constitute the five working groups and directed them to produce their respective documents within four weeks ahead of the proposed second summit.

The communiqué confirmed that the G100 would remain a facilitator and observer, rather than assume the authority of the political parties involved in the process.

In another major resolution, the parties called on the United States government to ensure the timely and lawful disclosure of all non-exempt official records concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that are relevant to legitimate public interest.

The demand is connected to an ongoing Freedom of Information Act case before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The opposition parties, however, clarified that the request did not presume the contents of any undisclosed records and did not amount to a finding of wrongdoing against President Tinubu.

They also resolved to formally communicate their position to the ECOWAS Commission.

The major challenge now facing the emerging opposition coalition is whether it can translate the resolutions reached in Abuja into a functioning political alliance capable of competing effectively in 2027.

The absence of Atiku, Obi and Makinde from the inaugural summit also highlights the political complexities that could shape the coalition process, particularly because all three remain influential figures whose political ambitions and support bases could affect any eventual opposition arrangement.

For now, the parties have deliberately avoided the most contentious question — who will fly the eventual opposition presidential ticket.

Instead, they have chosen to establish the negotiating framework first, with the five working groups expected to develop proposals on how a common candidate could eventually emerge.

Whether the parties can overcome individual ambitions, ideological differences, leadership disputes and competing political interests will determine whether the latest opposition unity effort develops into a genuine electoral alliance or becomes another short-lived political arrangement.

With the 2027 general election drawing closer, the Abuja summit marks a renewed attempt by Nigeria’s opposition parties to learn from the lessons of 2023 and build a more coordinated challenge to the ruling APC.

2027: Atiku, Obi, Makinde absent as opposition parties chart path to common candidate