The G100, a coalition of prominent Nigerians advocating stronger opposition cooperation, will today, Monday, August 31, commence formal negotiations among major opposition political parties as uncertainty continues to surround efforts to produce a common presidential candidate to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
The first Summit of Key Stakeholders of Nigeria’s Opposition Political Parties, scheduled for the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, is expected to bring together leaders and key stakeholders of six opposition parties — the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The summit, themed “A Framework for Opposition Cooperation and Coordination,” is expected to focus primarily on establishing the institutional framework, principles and mechanisms through which the parties could cooperate ahead of the 2027 elections.
The G100, however, has clarified that the meeting is not designed to immediately determine the opposition’s consensus presidential candidate or resolve all questions surrounding the proposed coalition in one sitting.
According to the group, the immediate objective is to create a structured process through which the parties can negotiate their areas of cooperation while retaining their individual identities, structures and political interests.
In a statement issued on behalf of the G100, one of its leading figures, Salihu Moh. Lukman, said the summit followed the group’s publication on August 2 of its “Doctrine of a Necessary Democratic Opposition” and several weeks of consultations with the leadership of the participating political parties.
Lukman said the consultations produced a shared briefing titled “A Framework for Opposition Cooperation and Coordination,” which identified areas of convergence among the parties while recognising their different histories, identities and political interests.
He said the consultations were driven by a common recognition of the need for a credible, organised and competitive democratic opposition capable of providing Nigerians with a viable political alternative.
“Cooperation does not require any party to disappear into another. The first question before party leaders is not who leads the ticket. It is what we are, together, prepared to do for this country,” Lukman stated.
The G100 is proposing the establishment of structures to facilitate sustained negotiations among the opposition parties, including five specialised working groups.
Subject to the approval of the participating parties, the working groups are expected to develop, within four weeks, the principal documents and agreements required to give institutional form to the proposed opposition cooperation.
The summit is also expected to be attended by national chairmen, party leaders and members of the National Working Committees of the six parties, as well as their presidential candidates and running mates. Members of the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives who are signatories to the G100 initiative are also expected to participate.
Despite the G100’s clarification that the immediate focus is not the selection of a presidential candidate, the question of who could eventually emerge as the opposition’s standard-bearer remains a major issue ahead of the 2027 poll.
The development has generated divergent expectations within opposition circles, with some political actors viewing a single presidential candidate as essential to defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while others insist that cooperation should not be reduced to the question of presidential candidacy.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the primary objective of the summit was to establish terms for cooperation rather than immediately anoint a single presidential candidate.
“The way I understand it, that is not the objective of the summit. It’s to prepare terms for cooperation, not necessarily single candidate,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the opposition could collaborate in several areas, including efforts to strengthen the electoral process, stressing that cooperation among opposition parties would make them stronger collectively.
However, the PDP’s Tanimu Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee indicated that the possibility of a united opposition candidate would form part of the broader discussions.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the summit would provide an opportunity for opposition parties to articulate strategies for confronting the APC in 2027.
“The single candidacy is a destination and the meeting will provide a direction to the destination,” Ememobong said.
The differing positions underscore the difficulty facing the opposition as it attempts to translate the growing calls for cooperation into a workable political alliance ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The challenge is further complicated by the fact that several opposition figures have presidential ambitions and political structures of their own.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi are among prominent opposition figures expected to participate in the broader coalition discussions. Atiku is currently the presidential candidate of the ADC, while Obi is the presidential candidate of the NDC.
The G100 initiative is coming against the backdrop of previous efforts by opposition politicians and parties to forge a common front ahead of the 2027 election.
The failure of earlier coalition efforts to resolve questions surrounding leadership, party structures and the sharing of political interests has continued to fuel concerns over whether the latest initiative can overcome the same obstacles.
The G100, however, appears determined to avoid rushing into the most contentious aspects of the proposed alliance.
Lukman stressed that the organisation would serve as a facilitator and observer rather than assume the constitutional authority of the participating political parties, insisting that decisions arising from the process would remain the responsibility of the parties.
“The decisions arising from this process will remain the responsibility of the parties themselves,” he said.
The summit therefore represents an initial step toward institutionalising opposition cooperation rather than a final convention to determine the structure of a presidential coalition.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party has opted out of the G100 summit, with its National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, saying the party already has its own coalition structure and nationwide organisation.
Asogwa maintained that the decision did not mean the party was opposed to the broader objective of opposition parties working together against the ruling APC.
Political observers are expected to closely monitor the outcome of the Abuja meeting, particularly the extent to which the participating parties can agree on common principles, structures and mechanisms for resolving competing interests.
With the 2027 general election approaching, the ability of the opposition to move beyond individual ambitions and establish a credible and coordinated political platform could prove critical to its prospects of mounting an effective challenge to the ruling party.
For now, however, the immediate task before the G100 summit is not who gets the presidential ticket, but whether the opposition parties can first agree on the rules of engagement that could ultimately make a common candidacy possible.
