The opposition will today (Monday) converge on Abuja for a summit aimed at forging a common political front and exploring a strategy to defeat President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 presidential election, amid deep divisions over alliance arrangements and the choice of a consensus candidate.
Two opposition political parties, the Social Democratic Party and the Peoples Redemption Party, have confirmed their participation in the summit, while the Peoples Democratic Party has ruled itself out of the gathering.
The summit, organised by the political pressure group, G-100, is expected to bring together opposition parties and political actors to discuss the possibility of greater cooperation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The G-100, led by former Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has argued that a fragmented opposition would struggle to dislodge an incumbent with the organisational and financial advantages of a ruling party.
In a statement on Sunday, a day before the summit, the group urged opposition parties to put aside their differences and approach the meeting with a willingness to cooperate.
“Tomorrow’s summit comes at an important moment for Nigeria’s democracy.
“Across the country, millions of Nigerians are looking to the opposition not merely to criticise the government of the day, but to demonstrate the maturity, discipline and sense of national purpose required to offer a credible alternative,” the statement signed by Lukman read.
The G-100 acknowledged that participating parties had different histories, structures and presidential ambitions, but said those differences should not prevent them from working together where their interests converge.
“The G-100 recognises that every political party has its own history, identity, ambitions and legitimate interests. Cooperation does not require any party to surrender these. Nor does it require political leaders to abandon their aspirations.
“It simply requires the wisdom to recognise that there are moments when what unites us must become more important than what separates us,” it argued.
The group said past elections had demonstrated the risks of an opposition divided among several candidates, arguing that fragmentation could enable an incumbent to retain power even when there was significant dissatisfaction with the government.
“The experience of elections in Nigeria and elsewhere has repeatedly demonstrated that a divided opposition often strengthens the incumbent.
“When parties competing for the same broad constituency fragment their energies, resources and votes, they risk turning their differences into an unintended advantage for those they seek to replace.
“Division is a choice. Cooperation must now become a strategy,” the G-100 said.
Confirming the participation of the SDP, its National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, said the party was prepared to work with other Nigerians and political groups seeking an alternative political direction for the country.
“The SDP is very much part of the G-100 initiative and is occupying a frontline position in the scheme of things of the national rescue movement.
“The party is very much committed to and will continue to work with true democrats and patriots who truly mean well for Nigeria,” he said.
He confirmed that the party’s presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, and its national leadership would attend the summit.
“Our national leadership and presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, will participate in the Summit of Nigerian Opposition Political Parties under the auspices of the G-100, scheduled to hold in Abuja at the Yar’Adua Centre, on Monday, August 31, 2026,” he said.
According to Aiyenigba, the gathering would provide an opportunity for opposition parties to explore practical areas of cooperation and coordination ahead of the 2027 elections.
The PRP also confirmed its participation.
“We are attending,” its National Publicity Secretary, Bello Ishaq, told The PUNCH in a brief telephone conversation on Sunday.
He did not provide further details.
The PDP, however, said it was neither involved in nor aware of the planned summit and ruled out participating in any opposition alliance discussions outside its own structures.
The party’s position was conveyed by the spokesman of its National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, in a WhatsApp message to The PUNCH.
“The PDP is not aware of any gathering in the name of opposition summit,” Mohammed said.
“We are also not in any planned arrangement with any political party for any possible alliance. Any opposition discussion where the PDP is not party to is dead on arrival.”
The G-100 nevertheless said the summit was not intended to force participating parties to abandon their identities or ambitions.
It said the immediate objective was to establish mechanisms through which opposition parties could engage, coordinate and resolve areas of disagreement.
“Tomorrow’s (Monday) summit provides an opportunity to begin building practical mechanisms for dialogue, coordination and cooperation, while respecting the identities and structures of participating parties,” the group said.
It urged the parties and their leaders to approach the discussions “in good faith, with an open mind and with the larger interests of Nigeria at heart.
“There will be disagreements, competing ambitions and difficult conversations. These are natural in politics. But none should prevent us from recognising the greater danger of allowing our differences to deny Nigerians a credible alternative.”
The group also cautioned against turning the summit into another contest for influence among opposition politicians.
“Tomorrow (Monday) is not about declaring winners or losers within the opposition. It is about beginning the work of ensuring that Nigerian democracy wins.
“Alone, each opposition party can make its case. Together, the opposition can change the course of the country,” it added.
The push for opposition cooperation comes as several political parties and prominent politicians prepare for the 2027 presidential election, with President Tinubu seeking a second term in office.
The possibility of a single opposition candidate has generated considerable debate within opposition circles, but differences over presidential ambitions, party structures and the terms of any possible alliance remain major obstacles.
The PUNCH reported last week that some presidential candidates within the emerging opposition coalition were likely to resist pressure to withdraw from the race in favour of a consensus candidate.
The G-100’s latest appeal is therefore an attempt to move the discussion beyond calls for unity and towards a framework for practical cooperation among opposition parties.
The group said the opposition had a historic opportunity to respond to Nigerians seeking an alternative to the ruling party.
“As we gather tomorrow (Monday) at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, the G-100 urges every opposition leader to remember the millions of Nigerians whose hopes extend beyond the fortunes of any single party or politician.
“History has presented the opposition with an opportunity. We must be wise enough not to waste it,” it counselled.
Efforts to get the positions of the African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria Democratic Congress were not fruitful as of the time of filing this report.
Source: punchng.com
FOLLOW US ON:
