Former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Salihu Lukman has stressed the need for a fresh opposition coalition under the aegis of the G100 to unite and endorse one presidential candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’, on Tuesday, Lukman called on the presidential candidates from the various political parties to avoid internal divisions that could jeopardise the chances of defeating Tinubu.
He said the goal of the G100 was to create a cohesive front that addressed Nigeria’s issues effectively, adding that the coalition was working on encouraging candidate engagement and defining a clear post-election plan.
“We emphasize to all of them. Each one of them wants to be president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but only one of them can be president.
“Among G100, there are also people who strongly support some of them, and we had to appeal to ourselves just like we are appealing to them that look, we need to play the bigger picture. The bigger picture is that we want them to win the election.
“We want the opposition to present something formidable that will give confidence to Nigerians on the basis of which they will come out to vote for them and they can win the election.
“If we encourage them to go in this divided way, we will repeat what happened in 2023 and come back to square one. And the situation may not be what we are all bargaining for. I must admit, and I am not here to present something as if it is a very simple thing. It’s a very difficult task.
“We are appealing to them, including their supporters, to be considerate enough about the welfare of Nigeria and its people, and not personal interest,” Lukman said.