2027: Opposition Parties Unite Against Tinubu, But Atiku, Obi, Makinde Skip Historic Abuja Summit

By Aliyu Oyewole

Nigeria’s opposition movement took a major step towards a possible 2027 electoral alliance on Monday as leaders of six opposition political parties converged on the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja for the maiden Opposition Political Parties Summit, with a proposed single-term transition government and a common presidential candidate dominating discussions.

However, the gathering was marked by the absence of three of the country’s biggest opposition figures — Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde — despite their political relevance to the emerging opposition coalition.

Atiku, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi, who was the Labour Party candidate in 2023 and is now associated with the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, and Makinde, a prominent opposition figure and Governor of Oyo State, were not physically present at the summit.

Despite their absence, the meeting attracted several presidential and vice-presidential candidates, including Prince Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party, SDP; Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP; and Lawal Musa Daura, the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, vice-presidential candidate, alongside members of the National Working Committees and Boards of Trustees of participating parties.

Opposition Pushes Single Four-Year Transition Government

In opening remarks delivered on behalf of the G100, Mallam Salihu Moh. Lukman proposed the establishment of a Government of National Competence based on a single four-year transition term.

Lukman said the proposal was designed to move the opposition conversation beyond individual political ambitions and towards a binding framework for cooperation.

“The Framework before you proposes something more demanding than a merger of ambitions: a Government of National Competence, built on competence, integrity, national inclusion, and fair representation of every party that contributes to the effort.”

He said the proposed four-year arrangement should be backed by an enforceable Transition Charter.

Lukman also warned that any agreement reached by the opposition must be binding and enforceable, rather than another political declaration without consequences.

“This gathering does not need more sincerity. Nigerian politics has never suffered from a shortage of sincere promises.”

According to him, the opposition must learn from previous failed attempts at cooperation by ensuring that commitments are documented, witnessed and enforceable.

‘We Divided 13 Million Votes Ourselves’ — Lukman

Lukman pointed to the 2023 presidential election as evidence of the consequences of opposition fragmentation.

He recalled that while the eventual winner secured just under nine million votes, two major opposition candidates collectively obtained more than 13 million votes.

“Nobody stole thirteen million votes. We divided them ourselves, in public, and we did it knowing exactly what the consequence would be.”

He described the lesson from 2023 as “arithmetical” rather than moral, arguing that opposition unity could significantly alter the political equation in 2027.

He also cited Kenya and Malaysia as examples of opposition forces defeating long-standing ruling political establishments after overcoming internal fragmentation.

Three Committees, Five Working Groups Proposed

The summit also unveiled an institutional structure for the proposed opposition cooperation.

Three standing bodies are to drive the process:

Central Leadership Committee — comprising national chairmen, national secretaries and presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Publicity and Communication Committee — responsible for coordinated messaging.
Legal Committee — tasked with legal strategy and coalition-related advice.

The G100 is expected to remain a facilitator and observer rather than becoming a political authority within the coalition.

Five working groups are also expected to prepare papers within four weeks on:

National Covenant for Democratic Renewal;
Single-Term Transition Charter;
National Reform Programme;
Framework for Opposition Unity; and
Roadmap to a Common Presidential Candidate.

The proposals are expected to be presented at a second summit for consideration and possible adoption.

Lukman, however, stressed that Monday’s meeting was not a merger convention.

“It is not asking any party to dissolve. It is not asking any party to disappear into another party. It is not asking any candidate to stand down this morning.”

He said the immediate objective was to build the framework around which future negotiations could take place.

‘We Must Replicate APC’s 2015 Victory’

Leading the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives to the summit, Minority Leader Fred Agbedi urged the opposition parties to replicate the strategy that helped the then-opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, defeat the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2015.

Agbedi said the Minority Caucus had decided to partner with the G100 to help opposition parties streamline their ambitions ahead of 2027.

He warned that going into another presidential election with multiple opposition candidates could once again produce a situation where millions of votes are divided without translating into victory.

“What will it benefit us when we are divided and scattered, and we go into an election, and we come back to collate the millions of votes we had divided amongst ourselves that could not give us victory?”

Donald Duke Ready To Drop Presidential Ambition

One of the strongest indications of the seriousness of the coalition talks came from PRP presidential candidate Donald Duke, who said he was prepared to sacrifice his personal ambition for a candidate jointly agreed upon by the participating parties.

Duke said political ego had historically prevented opposition leaders from working together.

“If we think we can go it all alone, then we will fail.”

He urged political leaders to subordinate personal ambitions to the broader interest of the country.

ADC Warns Opposition Against ‘Attacking Ourselves’

Representing the ADC, National Vice Chairman for the South-South, Usani Uguru Usani, expressed optimism about the coalition process.

Usani, however, warned opposition politicians against turning their attacks against one another.

“We seem to be attacking ourselves much more than we attack a common enemy, which is not correct.”

He argued that the opposition’s current calculations were based on actual performance indices rather than the speculation that characterised the 2023 election cycle.

APM: ‘What We Do Today Will Be Remembered’

APM National Chairman Yusuf Mamman Dantalle described the gathering as historic.

Dantalle urged opposition leaders to look beyond individual and party interests, saying history would judge their decisions at the summit.

“We have the opportunity, or what we refuse to do today, that we have the opportunity.”

He pledged the APM’s commitment to what he described as the “project Nigeria.”

PDP Faction Backs Wider Opposition Cooperation

Representing the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP, BoT Secretary Dr Babangida Aliyu commended the G100 initiative.

Aliyu attributed many of Nigeria’s political challenges to personal ambition and pecuniary interests and called for the opposition cooperation process to be replicated at state and local government levels.

He stressed that the summit was not intended to immediately determine presidential candidates.

“We are not here to pick or to nominate or to tell other parties to not run.”

Instead, he said the meeting was intended to establish the foundation for a future decision on the best strategy for 2027.

PRP Chairman: ‘Our Backs Are Against The Wall’

PRP National Chairman Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed described the summit as historic and said the participating parties were facing what he called an “existential threat” through litigation.

He nevertheless vowed that the opposition would continue its push for cooperation.

“Our back is against the wall, but we’ll fight back. In 2027, we will together remove this government and put the Nigerian nation in a different trajectory.”

SDP, NDC Endorse Coalition Talks

SDP National Chairman Prof. Sadiq Gombe pledged his party’s continued participation in the coalition process, arguing that Nigerian voters had demonstrated a desire for good governance.

He also referenced the 2023 presidential election and the recent Osun State election in making the case for opposition cooperation.

NDC National Chairman Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, speaking on behalf of his party and its presidential candidate, also endorsed the initiative.

He described the country as being in a “comatose” state under the current administration and said opposition cooperation offered a potential pathway for political change.

Opposition Adopts Joint Communiqué

At the conclusion of the summit, the six participating parties adopted a Joint Communiqué, committing themselves to a structured negotiation process for opposition cooperation ahead of the 2027 elections.

The parties formally established the three proposed standing committees and agreed to constitute the five working groups.

The groups are expected to deliver their respective working papers within four weeks, after which a second summit will be convened.

The parties also resolved to work towards a common framework for selecting a presidential candidate, although no candidate was endorsed at Monday’s meeting.

Opposition Makes Fresh Demand Over Tinubu Records

The communiqué also called on the United States Government to ensure the timely and lawful disclosure of non-exempt official records concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that relate to legitimate public interest.

The parties referenced an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, while stressing that their demand should not be interpreted as an assumption about the contents of any undisclosed records or as a finding of wrongdoing.

The opposition parties further resolved to communicate their position to the ECOWAS Commission.

The G100, meanwhile, is to remain strictly in the role of facilitator and observer.

With the first summit now concluded, attention is expected to shift to the five working groups and whether the opposition parties can transform Monday’s political declarations into a functional alliance capable of producing a common presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general election.