2027: G-100 meets Reps minority caucus, says opposition must unite to defeat APC

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

Ahead of the 2027 general election, the G-100, a coalition of opposition politicians advocating a single presidential candidate for the opposition, has intensified its mobilisation for a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), meeting with the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

One of the conveners of the group and former National Vice Chairman of the APC, Salihu Lukman, told the minority leadership at the National Assembly that opposition parties risk repeating the outcome of the 2023 presidential election if they fail to overcome their divisions and rally behind a common candidate.

Lukman said the opposition must avoid the fragmentation that characterised the 2023 election, arguing that a divided opposition would effectively hand victory to the ruling party.

He said the G-100 was already engaging leaders of various opposition parties to build consensus around a common platform for the 2027 presidential election.

“As opposition parties, we seem to be fragmented, and if we continue the way we are going, we are almost going to repeat the 2023 scenario, and it’s almost like a case of handing over victory to the ruling party, and then we go back to square one,” he said. The coalition comprises politicians drawn from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Lukman said the current political and socio-economic challenges facing the country made it imperative for opposition leaders to put aside individual and partisan interests and negotiate a common platform capable of defeating the APC.

“We feel, given the situation the country is facing today, the country cannot afford another four years of APC government, and that whatever it will take to get our leaders back together to do the needful and begin to work together to ensure victory in the 2027 election, we need to do it,” he said.

According to him, the group had already held consultations with political leaders and received encouraging responses to its proposal for opposition collaboration.

“We presented our concern and insisted that the only pathway to victory is for leaders to come together and begin to negotiate a common front on the basis of which the 2027 election will be contested,” he said.

Lukman disclosed that the coalition had scheduled a summit of opposition political parties for August 31, saying the group was determined to broaden the initiative beyond its conveners.

“We don’t want to proceed alone. There are many Nigerians who have indicated good support, and we want to work with everybody,” he said.

He appealed to opposition leaders to attend the summit and support negotiations aimed at producing a common front for the 2027 election.

“This is not about us; it’s about the country. We are appealing to all leaders who have agreed, we should all come and join hands together, and ensure that we support our leaders from the different parties to come together and agree to work towards having a common front for the 2027 election, in order to guarantee victory against APC,” Lukman said.

Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Fred Agbedi, said the G-100’s objective aligned with the aspirations of opposition lawmakers and pledged the caucus’s support for the initiative.

Agbedi said members of the minority caucus had already begun consultations with political parties, presidential candidates and other stakeholders to build a stronger opposition ahead of 2027.

He said the caucus had used part of the legislative recess to engage relevant political actors on the need for opposition parties to work together.

“The last time we met, we told you that you are welcome to a friendly point because, as minorities, that was our objective, and because of that, a number of us haven’t travelled since we went on vacation because we decided that we must go around all the parties and the presidential candidates and the other members to make sure that we come together and create a strong and viral opposition for the 2027 election,” Agbedi said.

Describing the proposed alliance as a “marriage of convenience,” the minority leader said opposition lawmakers were prepared to work collectively to achieve their objective.

“This is a marriage of convenience, and we believe that we have keyed in already individually and collectively as opposition parties in the House of Representatives,” he said.

Agbedi assured the G-100 that the minority leadership would work with the coalition and other opposition stakeholders towards building a formidable political alternative ahead of 2027.

“The minority leadership is here with you, and we ensure that we work together to salvage Nigeria,” he said.