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 Nigeria’s 2027 general election.
Lukman said the group had made greater progress than expected in persuading political parties and presidential candidates to consider working together to strengthen the opposition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
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 improve their chances of challenging the 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
Lukman warned that opposition parties could struggle to defeat the ruling party if their presidential candidates contested separately and divided the opposition vote.
He said the success of a united platform would depend on the level of trust among political parties and their candidates, stressing the need for relationships that would encourage them 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 an agreement remained possible if political leaders recognised 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 Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, who warned that opposition candidates could hand victory to the ruling party by dividing their supporters among several contenders.
“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.
The ADC chieftain 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.
Lukman added that he had no personal ambition to contest an election or seek an appointive position, 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 prioritise the country’s interests over individual ambitions.
