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Opposition parties and political actors will converge on Abuja on Monday for a summit aimed at building a common strategy to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 presidential election.
The summit, organised by the G-100 political pressure group led by former Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, is expected to focus on cooperation among opposition parties, including the possibility of coordinating their campaigns and working towards a consensus candidate.
The Social Democratic Party and Peoples Redemption Party have confirmed their participation, while the Peoples Democratic Party has rejected the gathering, saying it was neither aware of the summit nor involved in any opposition alliance discussions outside its structures.
The G-100 said the summit was necessary because a divided opposition could struggle to defeat an incumbent party with substantial organisational and financial resources. It urged opposition leaders to place areas of common interest above their individual ambitions without requiring participating parties to surrender their identities.
“The experience of elections in Nigeria and elsewhere has repeatedly demonstrated that a divided opposition often strengthens the incumbent,” the group said, adding that “Division is a choice. Cooperation must now become a strategy.”
Confirming the SDP’s participation, its National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, said the party and its presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, would attend the summit at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre.
He said the meeting would provide an opportunity to explore practical areas of cooperation with other political groups seeking an alternative political direction for Nigeria.
The PRP also confirmed its participation, with its National Publicity Secretary, Bello Ishaq, simply stating, “We are attending.” The African Democratic Congress and Nigeria Democratic Congress could not be reached for their positions as of the time of filing the report.
The PDP, however, drew a clear line between itself and the initiative. Its National Caretaker Committee spokesman, Jungudo Mohammed, said, “The PDP is not aware of any gathering in the name of opposition summit,” adding, “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 summit comes amid growing debate over the possibility of a single opposition candidate in 2027, with competing presidential ambitions, party structures and disagreements over the terms of any alliance remaining major obstacles.
The G-100 said Monday’s meeting would not be about determining winners within the opposition, but about creating practical mechanisms for dialogue and coordination ahead of the election.
