The leader of the G100 political pressure group and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Salihu Lukman, has acknowledged the difficulty of persuading leading opposition presidential candidates, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Lukman made the disclosure on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Tuesday while discussing the group’s efforts to build a common front among opposition parties and their presidential candidates. He said the major challenge was that several leading figures were interested in becoming president, while their supporters remained determined to see their preferred candidates emerge.
According to him, managing the competing ambitions and loyalties within the opposition was a difficult task, but the G100 was encouraging both the candidates and their supporters to prioritise the broader goal of defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Lukman warned that if the opposition candidates contest separately, they risk repeating the outcome of the 2023 presidential election. He argued that continued division would strengthen President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC by splitting the opposition vote.
The ADC chieftain said the group’s primary objective was to encourage opposition leaders to negotiate and agree on a common presidential platform capable of presenting a formidable challenge to the ruling party. He stressed that the proposed alliance should be focused on addressing Nigeria’s challenges rather than simply replacing those currently in government.
Lukman explained that the G100 was working on two major areas: facilitating negotiations among opposition leaders to produce a common presidential candidate or platform, and developing a shared governance agenda for the country if the alliance succeeds in defeating the APC in 2027.
He said the opposition must be able to clearly explain how it intends to tackle Nigeria’s economic, security and governance challenges, insisting that the objective should go beyond changing political faces in government.
Lukman disclosed that the group had received encouraging signals from some opposition leaders, but acknowledged that time was running out ahead of the 2027 election. He urged the major opposition figures to put aside their individual ambitions and work towards a united platform.
