Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde and other opposition figures have intensified consultations aimed at building a common political platform to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
The latest discussions are being facilitated by the G100, a political advocacy group led by former APC chieftain, Salihu Lukman, as opposition leaders explore ways of avoiding the fragmentation that could give the ruling Party an advantage in the next presidential election.
The consultations followed an open letter issued by the G100 on August 2, 2026, to opposition leaders, civil society organisations, leaders of thought and other Nigerians. In the letter, the group introduced what it described as the “Doctrine of Necessary Democratic Opposition,” advocating the development of a strong, credible and competitive opposition capable of providing Nigerians with a realistic alternative to the governing APC.
According to the group, discussions have already been held with representatives of six opposition parties as part of efforts to establish areas of cooperation ahead of the 2027 elections.
The parties involved are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The latest initiative comes against the backdrop of continuing efforts by opposition politicians to coordinate their activities before the 2027 polls. Earlier in April, prominent opposition figures, including Atiku, Obi, Makinde and other political leaders, participated in a summit in Ibadan where the need for a united opposition and a joint presidential candidate was discussed.
However, the opposition has since faced the difficult task of reconciling the ambitions of several major politicians, each with political structures, supporters and presidential aspirations of their own.
The G100 consultations appear to be another attempt to address that challenge.
In its latest statement, the group said its discussions had shown that several opposition leaders increasingly recognised the importance of cooperation if they were to mount a serious challenge to the APC.
Despite the progress reported by the group, no final agreement has been reached on who should emerge as the opposition’s presidential candidate or which political platform should carry the alliance into the election.
The G100 also said it had intentionally kept much of the consultation process away from the media to create an environment in which the political actors could negotiate more freely.
The strategy is aimed at reducing the pressure that often accompanies high-profile political negotiations, particularly when discussions involve several presidential hopefuls and competing political parties.
The group believes that building a successful opposition alliance will require more than simply bringing politicians together. It will also demand trust, compromise and a willingness among the various actors to place broader national interests above individual political ambitions.
The consultations are expected to enter another phase on August 18, 2026, when the Summit of Opposition Parties is scheduled to hold in Abuja.
The proposed summit is expected to provide a platform for participating parties to discuss practical areas of cooperation, including campaign coordination, political structures and the possibility of presenting a stronger alternative to the APC in the presidential election.
The G100 has maintained that it will not impose a particular candidate or political arrangement on the participating parties.
Instead, the group intends to facilitate discussions and confidence-building among the opposition blocs while allowing the political actors themselves to determine the structure that could work best.
Possible arrangements could include a coalition, a negotiated presidential ticket, the adoption of a single political platform or another form of electoral cooperation.
The question of a common presidential candidate is likely to remain one of the most difficult issues in the negotiations.
Atiku and Obi were among the leading presidential contenders in the 2023 election, but they contested on different platforms. Atiku was the presidential candidate of the PDP, while Obi contested under the Labour Party.
Their political relationship, alongside Makinde’s position and the ambitions of other opposition figures, has therefore remained an important part of discussions surrounding the search for a united opposition ahead of 2027.
Recent developments have also shown how difficult it can be for opposition parties to maintain a common strategy. Earlier efforts to establish a united front produced public commitments to work towards a single presidential candidate, but competing ambitions and disagreements over political platforms have continued to complicate the process.
The G100 appears determined to avoid a repeat of such setbacks by encouraging broader consultations before any final political arrangement is announced.
The group also linked the current initiative to the principles contained in the Ibadan Declaration, which called for opposition parties to develop a credible pathway towards a united and competitive alternative ahead of the 2027 elections.
For the organisers, however, the objective goes beyond simply removing the APC from power.
The G100 said a successful opposition arrangement should ultimately offer Nigerians an alternative government capable of improving governance, strengthening democratic accountability and addressing the country’s major challenges.
This distinction could become important as the election approaches because an alliance based solely on opposition to Tinubu may not be enough to convince voters.
Political parties seeking to challenge an incumbent government would also need to demonstrate that they have a coherent programme, credible leadership, nationwide structures and the capacity to translate campaign promises into governance.
The negotiations are therefore expected to involve difficult questions surrounding zoning, candidate selection, power-sharing, campaign structures, party interests and political concessions.
The challenge is particularly significant because the ruling APC has continued to consolidate its political structure ahead of the 2027 election, while opposition parties remain divided across several platforms. Analysts have previously identified the opposition’s inability to overcome personal ambitions and agree on a common strategy as one of its major weaknesses.
For Atiku, Obi, Makinde and the other opposition figures involved, the coming months could determine whether the various political blocs are able to transform their separate ambitions into a coordinated electoral force.
The G100 has cautioned that such an arrangement will not happen overnight.
The group said the consultations conducted over the past week were only the beginning of a longer process that would require patience, courage and sacrifice from the political actors involved.
With the August 18 summit approaching, attention will now turn to whether the opposition parties can move beyond consultations and reach concrete agreements capable of producing a united challenge to Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 presidential election.
For now, the discussions remain ongoing, with the crucial questions of the presidential candidate, political platform and structure of any potential alliance still unresolved.