Opposition parties and political stakeholders are expected to converge in Abuja on Monday for a summit aimed at strengthening collaboration among political groups and fashioning a common strategy to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 presidential election.
The summit, convened by the political pressure group G-100, is expected to attract representatives of opposition parties and other political actors as discussions intensify over the possibility of creating a stronger platform to confront the APC at the next general election.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of divisions within the opposition camp over the proposed alliance, with contentious issues including the structure of a possible coalition and the willingness of different presidential aspirants to back a consensus candidate.
While the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) have confirmed their participation, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disassociated itself from the planned gathering.
G-100, led by former Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, maintains that opposition parties may struggle to unseat an incumbent administration if they contest the 2027 election independently.
In a statement released on Sunday ahead of the meeting, the group urged opposition leaders to put aside their differences and seize the opportunity provided by the summit to begin designing a practical framework for collaboration.
“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 noted that the participating parties have distinct political backgrounds, organisational structures and ambitions, but stressed that those differences should not prevent them from identifying issues on which they can cooperate.
“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 said.
G-100 said past elections had demonstrated the potential danger of an opposition divided among several candidates, arguing that such fragmentation could ultimately benefit an incumbent administration by dispersing votes, financial resources and political support.
“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.
The SDP has meanwhile expressed its willingness to take part in initiatives aimed at providing Nigerians with an alternative political direction.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, confirmed that its presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, and members of the 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 said the summit would give opposition groups an avenue to consider practical options for coordinating their political activities in preparation for the 2027 elections.
The PRP has also confirmed that it would participate in the meeting. Its National Publicity Secretary, Bello Ishaq, gave a brief confirmation, saying, “We are attending.”
The PDP, however, has denied being part of the proposed gathering and said it was not currently participating in discussions concerning an opposition alliance outside its established structures.
The spokesman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, said the PDP had no knowledge of the planned summit.
“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.”
Despite the PDP’s rejection of the initiative, G-100 clarified that Monday’s meeting was not intended to force participating parties to abandon their identities, organisational structures or political ambitions.
The organisers said the objective was instead to create an avenue for opposition parties to engage, coordinate their activities and seek common ground on issues that have continued to divide them.
“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.
G-100 also urged those attending the summit to approach the discussions with an open mind, noting that political disagreements should not become an obstacle to the emergence of a credible alternative.
“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,” it said.
The organisers warned opposition leaders against allowing the summit to degenerate into another contest for dominance or influence among the various political groups.
“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,” the group added.
The G-100 further called on opposition politicians to take advantage of the current political opening by placing the interests of Nigerians above the ambitions of individual politicians and parties.
“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.
