Major opposition parties in the country are warming up to a fresh coalition aimed at presenting a common challenge to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.
The proposed alliance, being championed by the G-100, is seeking to bring together the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
The presidential candidates of the parties are; Atiku Abubakar (ADC), Peter Obi (NDC), Seyi Makinde (APM), Donald Duke (PRP), Adebayo Adewole Ebenezer (SDP) and Senator Sandy Onor (PDP).
The G-100, led by former Director-General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman, in a statement yesterday, said opposition parties cannot individually muster the political strength required to defeat the ruling party and is therefore pushing for a consensus candidate and a united platform.
The initiative has received support from several of the parties, although political analysts say personal ambitions, rivalry among opposition leaders and the limited time available before the 2027 election could frustrate the effort.
The G-100 is expected to hold a summit on August 18 as part of efforts towards building consensus among the opposition parties, their presidential candidates, running mates and national chairmen.
The latest initiative is a revival of an earlier attempt by opposition parties to forge a common front. A similar proposal emerged at a summit in Ibadan last November but failed to produce a lasting alliance.
While some opposition leaders have expressed willingness to explore the new arrangement, analysts remain skeptical about whether presidential candidates who have spent years building their individual political ambitions will be prepared to step aside for a consensus candidate.
When contacted, most of the parties listed in the current coalition building confirmed to Daily Trust that they were aware of the development and welcomed the idea of the summit, saying it is the right path towards ensuring the change they are seeking.
Lukman had explained in an interview on Trust TV that If the opposition is really committed to Nigeria, the first thing to do is to do the needful and give Nigerians the confidence that there is an alternative.
He said, ‘Once they don’t come together, I don’t think Nigerians will bother themselves. And this is the message we have passed and we are still passing to the leaders of the opposition’.
‘Atiku amenable to any process that’ll deny Tinubu second term’
The media adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, said the ADC’s presidential candidate is amenable to any process that will deny the APC and President Tinubu a second term in office.
He told Daily Trust yesterday that while he could not confirm whether the G-100 had met with Atiku, the former vice president had never wavered on the coalition effort.
Ibe said: ‘He (Atiku) was one of the earliest people that started the discussions of opposition figures and even political parties coming together.
‘He was in Oyo State for the Ibadan declaration and summit, even though some of the actors of the Ibadan have moved on to other parties. But for him I do not think that anything has changed.
‘Atiku Abubakar believes in the efficacy that a bunch of broom will do far better that a single stick of broom. I believe that the Wazirin Adamawa will not shy away from anything that would bring the opposition together.
‘What the G-100 are saying aligns with what he has been saying since last year after the last election. He saw clearly that the best way and Nigerians also saw it and that was what led to the birth of the coalition.
‘A lot of water has passed under the bridge, but then politics is dynamic and I believe he will be amenable to any process that will make Nigerians to have their way, ensure that APC and President Tinubu are not handed a second term. So that Nigerians can begin to rebuild their country. ‘
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on its part said it is open to any relationship or collaboration with any other political party that shares its vision and aspirations.’
The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, also told one of our correspondents that the party is not averse to the coalition effort.
NDC, PRP confirm consultation
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday confirmed receipt of an invitation for the coalition summit.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, told Daily Trust that ‘this is because the opposition parties will be stronger if they coalesce into one party to challenge the ruling party.’
According to him, the NDC is not opposed to the possibility of the opposition coming together.
He emphasised that such a proposition must take into consideration the strongest and most popular of the presidential candidates to lead it.
‘There is no gainsaying the fact that the NDC and its flag bearer is the most visible option for the opposition parties. Let’s also be mindful of the fact that we should not assume by the G-100 call to mean that only a two-party system can salvage Nigeria.
‘With the plethora of opposition parties, the electorate knows who their preferred candidate is,’ he stated.
An official of the PRP, who spoke to Daily Trust yesterday also confirmed that the G-100 coalition had reached out to the party ahead of the summit scheduled for Tuesday..
The official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on behalf of the party, said the PRP would attend the summit. He said the coalition would produce a single candidate provided the various opposition parties and their candidates were willing to sacrifice their personal interests in the interest of the country.
The SDP’s national chairman, Professor Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, could not be reached via calls and messages sent to his mobile telephone line seeking his response to the development.
The party’s spokesperson, Rufus Aiyenugba, said he could not comment because his phone was currently having issues.
Ambitions may scuttle coalition efforts again – Analysts
Political analysts, who spoke to Daily Trust, said it might be difficult for the opposition parties to adopt a single presidential candidate.
Professors Abubakar Kari and Saleh Dauda of the Political Science Department at the University of Abuja, in separate interviews with Daily Trust, said although a united opposition could pose a serious challenge to the APC, persuading presidential candidates to jettison their ambitions remains a major obstacle.
Kari said the initiative was not impossible because ‘politics is the art of the possible’, warning that the group was running against time.
He said the conclusion of party primaries and the emergence of candidates had narrowed the window for any major realignment, leaving mainly the possibility of candidate substitution.
‘They are really running against time. The primaries have been concluded. Candidates have emerged. They have been uploaded on the INEC portal and so on and so forth.
‘So, the only little window they have is the window of substitution,’ he said.
Kari identified political ambitions as the most formidable challenge facing the G100, saying many of the presidential candidates had worked for years to secure their tickets and were unlikely to easily relinquish their ambitions.
He cited the movements of some opposition figures between political parties in pursuit of their presidential ambitions as an indication of the difficulty involved.
‘I am not quite optimistic that many of the political gladiators, the high-profile politicians, who have secured presidential tickets, vice presidential tickets, will be favourably disposed to abandoning their ambitions,’ he said.
Kari predicted resistance from the APC, saying the governing party would deploy every available political means to frustrate the emergence of a united opposition.
‘APC will do whatever they can, including invoking, manipulating and compromising institutions, key institutions, to ensure that this grand idea is thwarted,’ he stated.
Kari said the three major challenges of time, political ambition and resistance from the ruling party implied that the G-100 had ‘its own work cut out for it.’
For Dauda, it is theoretically possible for leading opposition figures to unite behind one candidate.
He, however, expressed doubt that politicians would be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve such an arrangement.
‘It is possible if the protagonists and opposition leaders like Atiku, Obi, Kwankaso can balance their differences and allow somebody, one person and support him for the presidential election, it would be very good. But I don’t see the possibility of these opposition leaders doing so,’ Dauda said.
He said the leading opposition politicians appeared convinced that they had a chance of winning the 2027 presidential election independently, making it difficult for them to step down for another candidate.
‘My understanding is that every Nigerian politician believes that there are chances of winning, even if others are seeing it the other way,’ he said.
Dauda, however, said a successful alliance would make the 2027 presidential election a much more competitive contest.
‘If they can come together, it will be very good. It will pose a serious challenge to the ruling APC government,’ he said.
He cautioned, however, against assuming that a united opposition would automatically defeat the APC.
‘When I say they will pose a challenge, I am very careful with my words. It doesn’t necessarily mean that even if they come together, they can defeat the present government,’ Dauda said.
According to him, an opposition alliance would instead make the election ‘a keen contest.’
A lecturer at the Kano State College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies, Dr Kabiru Sa’idu Sufi, described the formation of the G-100 coalition as a significant but challenging attempt to unite the opposition parties against the ruling APC in 2027 presidential election.
He noted that alliances have long characterised Nigeria’s political history, citing examples from the First Republic when parties teamed up to challenge the dominance of the NPC, and in the Second Republic when opposition parties rallied against the NPN in 1983.
He recalled that similar coalitions such as the G-34 eventually metamorphosed into the PDP which won power in 1999.
‘Looking at this history, one can say that it is not a new thing. It signifies the general discontent among the opposition and the belief that only when they come together can they challenge the incumbent president,’ he said.
Sufi said the success of the G-100 would depend on the determination of its members to stay united.
‘We had seen how, in recent times, they came together under one political party and then some would leave. It all depends on the resolve of those who have formed the G-100 and their determination to stay together to challenge the ruling party,’ he stated.
On whether the coalition can sustain unity, Sufi expressed doubt, pointing to past experiences where opposition figures struggled to work under a single platform.
‘Some of them are strange bedfellows. Even within the same political party, they sometimes challenge one another. Their inability to stay together in one political party and form a formidable opposition shows it is a very difficult thing to achieve,’ he said.
According to him, while the G-100 represents a good strategy and a possible force against the APC, its durability will be hinged on whether its leaders can overcome personal ambitions and forge a common political position.