Presidential candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar; Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi; and Allied Peoples Movement (APM), alongside Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, were absent yesterday as opposition parties began moves to forge a united front to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
The first opposition political parties summit, convened by the political pressure group G-100, was held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, with representatives of six parties agreeing to begin negotiations towards a possible common presidential candidate.
Those in attendance included the presidential candidates of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewale Adebayo; former Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu; and APM vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, among others.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the summit and signed by representatives of ADC, APM, NDC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), PRP and SDP, the parties agreed to establish five working groups to produce key documents within four weeks.
The documents include the 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 to be submitted to the Central Leadership Committee for consideration ahead of a second summit, where they will be presented for possible adoption.
The parties also agreed to establish three standing coalition organs: the Central Leadership Committee, which will provide political direction and coordinate the process; the Publicity and Communication Committee, responsible for joint messaging and media engagement; and the Legal Committee, which will advise on legal and constitutional issues and vet agreements arising from the negotiations.
The communiqué said the parties had agreed “to commit to a structured process of negotiation on the framework for opposition cooperation ahead of the 2027 general election”.
It added that insecurity, the rising cost of living, unemployment and lack of opportunities required “a level of political cooperation that transcends the narrow interests of any single party”.
The coalition also called on the United States government to ensure the lawful disclosure of non-exempt official records concerning President Tinubu that are subject to ongoing proceedings before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
The parties, however, acknowledged that the demand did not presume the contents of any undisclosed records or constitute a finding of wrongdoing.
‘We Divided 13m Votes In 2023’
In his welcome address, G-100 convener and former APC National Vice Chairman (North West), Salihu Lukman, urged opposition parties to set aside personal ambitions and first agree on a framework for cooperation.
He stressed that the summit was not asking any party to dissolve or any candidate to withdraw from the 2027 race.
“What we are asking is narrower, and in some ways harder. We are asking you to agree that the table should be built before the seats around it are negotiated. We are asking you to authorise the machinery that will build it,” Lukman said.
He recalled that opposition parties contested the presidency separately in 2003, 2007 and 2011 but only defeated the ruling PDP in 2015 after agreeing on rules of engagement and presenting a common candidate.
According to him, the failure to maintain such unity in 2023 cost the opposition victory.
“The winner took just under nine million votes. One opposition candidate took close to seven million. Another took just over six million. Thirteen million votes on one side of the argument, under nine million on the other,” he said.
“Nobody stole thirteen million votes. We divided them ourselves, in public, and we did it knowing exactly what the consequence would be.”
