A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and convenor of G100, Salihu Lukman, says opposition parties are making progress towards forming an alliance ahead of the 2027 general election.
Lukman said the group had recorded more progress than anticipated in persuading political parties and their presidential candidates to consider working together to strengthen the opposition.
He spoke in an interview with Channels Television aired on Friday.
“Well, first, let me remind you that when we came together as G100, our objective was to engage the political parties and their candidates and get them to recognise the challenge,” he said.
“So far, the indicators are there; we have succeeded beyond some of our expectations, and I’m sure the leadership of the parties will begin to make public statements themselves to indicate the direction they are going.”
G100 is advocating cooperation among opposition parties to strengthen their challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
Recently, six opposition parties consulted five presidential candidates as part of efforts to build an alliance ahead of the polls.
The consultations involved the national chairmen and national secretaries of the ADC, Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
The presidential candidates consulted were Atiku Abubakar of the ADC, Seyi Makinde of the APM, Peter Obi of the NDC, Adewole Adebayo of the SDP and Donald Duke of the PRP.
Opposition must agree on one candidate
Lukman said the opposition parties would struggle to defeat the ruling party if their presidential candidates contested separately and divided the opposition vote.
He said the success of a joint platform would depend on the level of trust among the parties and their candidates, adding that political leaders needed to build relationships that would enable them to make sacrifices and set aside individual ambitions.
“For us, unless that is addressed, all these issues about coming up with a united front or a single candidate, we may not be able to achieve it,” he said.
The ADC chieftain, however, expressed optimism that the opposition could reach an agreement, insisting that political leaders must recognise the consequences of splitting their votes.
“There is no way this country can continue the way it is today. Something just has to give,” he said.
Lukman cited comments by former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, who had warned that opposition candidates risked handing victory to the ruling party by dividing their supporters among multiple candidates.
“There is no way opposition candidates will split people five ways and expect one of them to win against a ruling party; they are just basically handing over victory to the ruling party,” Lukman quoted Onaiyekan as saying.
He expressed confidence that the presidential candidates would eventually recognise the need to cooperate ahead of the election.
“I am positive, and I am very sure that all these candidates are rational. They will accept all these and work together,” he said.
Lukman also said he had no personal ambition to contest an election or seek an appointive office, stressing that his involvement was driven by a desire to encourage political leaders to find common ground.
“My own personal benefit is not the issue,” he said, urging opposition leaders to place the country’s interests above individual ambitions.
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