morGANABLE politics/elections
The G-100, a coalition of political groups and stakeholders advocating a united opposition front, has nevertheless expressed optimism that negotiations among the various camps will eventually produce a consensus candidate
KaNo—
Efforts by opposition political parties and groups under the G-100 Alliance to produce a consensus presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general election have run into fresh challenges.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde have maintained their ambitions to contest the presidency.
The three politicians, who are presidential candidates of the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress and Allied Peoples’ Movement respectively, have yet to indicate any willingness to withdraw from the race in favour of another aspirant.
Their positions have raised questions over the feasibility of the G-100’s plan to unite opposition forces behind a single presidential candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.
The G-100, a coalition of political groups and stakeholders advocating a united opposition front, has nevertheless expressed optimism that negotiations among the various camps will eventually produce a consensus candidate.
Group Says Consultations Ongoing
A member of the group, Ambassador Umanu Elijah, said consultations were ongoing and expressed confidence that an agreement would be reached by September 30.
Elijah said the G-100 was not merely seeking cooperation among opposition parties but was working towards the adoption of one presidential candidate who would receive the backing of the other participating parties and aspirants.
According to him, the coalition had already begun the process through a summit recently held in Abuja, where representatives of six opposition political parties and their presidential candidates met to discuss the possibility of working together ahead of the 2027 elections.
“We had our first summit recently in Abuja with the opposition political parties and their presidential candidates. It is important to note that this is a gradual process. We have not adopted a single candidate yet, but that is the goal,” Elijah said.
“Recall that yesterday (Monday), Mr Peter Obi visited the Allied Peoples’ Movement presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde. This is the conversation the G-100 is driving. Meetings are going on behind the scenes, and I am sure that before the end of this month, we would have settled on a consensus candidate that we will ask other candidates and parties to support,” he said.
However, the individual positions of the major aspirants suggest that reaching such an agreement could prove difficult.
Atiku Insist On Contesting
In the case of Atiku, his camp maintains that while the former Vice-President is open to discussions with other opposition leaders, he remains committed to contesting the 2027 presidential election.
The former Vice-President’s media aide, Paul Ibe, declined to comment on the matter.
However, an ally of Atiku said the former Vice-President was not opposed to an alliance, arguing that he had been at the forefront of efforts to build a broad opposition coalition.
The source said the coalition had already culminated in the emergence of the African Democratic Congress as the platform for opposition forces seeking to challenge the APC.
“Those who are now talking about coalition and alliance are only beginning to realise that Atiku is ahead of them. He thought about this quite a long time ago and came up with the idea,” the source said.
According to the ally, political stakeholders from different parts of the country and various political parties had been consulted before the ADC was adopted as the platform for the opposition coalition.
He argued that with Atiku already emerging as the ADC presidential candidate, other aspirants and political actors should consider rallying behind him.
Nevertheless, the source stressed that Atiku remained open to dialogue with other opposition figures.
“As a statesman, he is open to discussions. Atiku has been engaging with any leaders who meet with him, so he remains open to dialogue. But Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is going to contest the 2027 election,” he said.
Makinde’s camp has adopted a similarly firm position.
The APM National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, said the Oyo State governor was contesting the election to win and had not stepped down for any other aspirant.
Yusuf acknowledged that discussions were taking place within the G-100 but maintained that Makinde could himself emerge as the consensus candidate.
“The Governor of Oyo State, who is the flag bearer of our party, is not in the race to take Nigerians for a ride, or for a joke, comedy or fun. He is in the race to win. He is contesting to win the 2027 election,” he said.
He added, “What makes you think Makinde will not be adopted as the consensus candidate? For now, all I can tell you is that His Excellency, the Oyo State Governor and candidate of our party, is in the contest to win. He has not stepped down for anybody.”
NDC Dismiss Withdrawal Calls
The position of the Nigeria Democratic Congress is also consistent with the broader resistance to an early withdrawal.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said the NDC was prepared to participate in negotiations aimed at producing a single opposition candidate.
However, he stressed that the party considered Obi one of the strongest contenders and believed he had a strong chance of becoming the eventual consensus candidate.
Director said participation in opposition discussions should not be interpreted as an admission that the NDC lacked the capacity to win the election independently.
“Our party, in line with the Nigerian Constitution, has the right to associate with any individual member, group or association in the country. It is in exercising this right that you see our candidate associating with other candidates across party lines,” he said.
“NDC is ready to participate in discussions about a single candidate for the opposition. We are ready and are already participating in discussions about the need to have a consensus candidate or a single candidate, especially because we believe that our candidate is one of the best among all the other aspirants and has a strong chance of emerging as the consensus candidate,” he said.
The resistance is not limited to the three major presidential contenders. The African Action Congress, DLA, Allied Peoples’ Movement and Action Democratic Party, among others, have also rejected suggestions that their presidential candidates would automatically withdraw for another aspirant.
The development has therefore complicated the G-100’s ambition to build a united opposition platform ahead of the 2027 election.
While the coalition believes that a fragmented opposition could make it easier for the ruling APC to retain power, individual parties and candidates remain reluctant to surrender their political platforms and presidential ambitions without clear assurances over the terms of any proposed alliance.
For now, the opposition consensus project remains a work in progress.
With the September 30 deadline approaching, the major test for the G-100 will be whether it can persuade the leading contenders to subordinate their individual ambitions to a common candidate or whether the 2027 presidential contest will feature several opposition candidates competing separately against the APC.
