Opposition parties moving closer to alliance ahead of 2027, says Salihu Lukman
Salihu Lukman, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and convenor of G100, says opposition parties are making progress towards forming an alliance ahead of the 2027 general election.
In an interview with Channels Television aired on Friday, Lukman said the group had made more progress than initially expected in persuading political parties and presidential candidates to consider working together to strengthen the opposition.
“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 chances of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
Six opposition parties recently 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.
LUKMAN SAYS OPPOSITION MUST AGREE ON ONE CANDIDATE
The G100 convenor said 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 depended on the level of trust among political parties and their candidates, arguing that they needed to build relationships that would make them willing to sacrifice 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.
Lukman maintained that the opposition could still 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.
He cited comments by John Onaiyekan, the former archbishop of Abuja, who had warned that opposition candidates risked handing victory to the ruling party if they divided their supporters among several 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.
Lukman said he remained optimistic that the presidential candidates would 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.
The ADC chieftain added that he had no personal ambition to contest an election or seek an appointive office, saying 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.
