The opposition will on Monday converge on Abuja for a summit aimed at building a common political front and developing strategies to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 presidential election.
The meeting, hosted by political pressure organization G-100, is planned to bring together opposition groups and political actors to discuss areas of collaboration and potential alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Social Democratic Party and the People’s Redemption Party have confirmed their attendance, while the People’s Democratic Party has declined, claiming it is not involved in any opposition coalition discussions outside of its own structures.
The meeting is coming amid growing calls for opposition parties to unite behind a single candidate, although disagreements over presidential ambitions, party structures and the choice of a consensus candidate remain major challenges.
The G-100, led by former Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has maintained that a fragmented opposition would struggle to defeat 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 set aside their differences and approach the meeting with an open mind.
“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 said.
The group acknowledged that the participating parties had different histories, structures and political ambitions but argued that the differences should not prevent them from cooperating on issues of common interest.
It said cooperation would not require any political party to surrender its identity or presidential ambitions, but would require leaders to recognise issues that unite them.
“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 stated.
Confirming the participation of the SDP, its National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, said the party was committed to working with other Nigerians and political groups seeking an alternative political direction for the country.
He said the party’s presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, and its national leadership would attend the summit at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
“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,” Aiyenigba said.
He added that the summit 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, with its National Publicity Secretary, Bello Ishaq, telling The PUNCH, “We are attending.”
The PDP, however, distanced itself from the summit.
The spokesman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, said the party was neither aware of the gathering nor involved in any planned opposition alliance.
“The PDP is not aware of any gathering in the name of opposition summit.
“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,” Mohammed said.
The G-100 said the immediate objective of the summit was not to force parties to abandon their identities or ambitions but to establish practical mechanisms for dialogue, coordination and cooperation.
It urged opposition leaders to approach the discussions in good faith and with the broader interests of the country in mind.
The group also warned against turning the summit into another struggle for influence among opposition politicians.
“Tomorrow 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 said.
The push for opposition cooperation comes as political parties and prominent politicians position themselves for the 2027 presidential election, with Tinubu seeking a second term.
The prospect of a single opposition candidate has generated intense debate, but competing presidential ambitions and disagreements over the structure and terms of a possible alliance remain significant obstacles.
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 summit is therefore expected to test whether opposition parties can move beyond calls for unity and establish a workable framework for cooperation ahead of the 2027 polls.
The group said the opposition had a historic opportunity to respond to Nigerians seeking an alternative to the ruling party.
“As we gather tomorrow 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 added.
Efforts to obtain the positions of the African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria Democratic Congress were unsuccessful as of the time of filing the report.