The push for a united opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections has entered a new phase.

This is as a group, the G100, revealed that it has held consultations with six opposition political parties and is now preparing a summit to advance talks on a common front.

The group said representatives had engaged the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

It said the consultations, which involved national chairmen, presidential candidates and running mates, had produced a broad convergence around the need for opposition parties to work more closely together.

The development comes eight days before the planned Opposition Parties Summit scheduled for Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in Abuja.

According to the G100, the summit is expected to provide a platform for the parties to begin detailed discussions on how greater cooperation can be achieved ahead of the 2027 elections.

The group, In a statement signed by Salihu Mohammed Lukman on behalf of the G100 on Monday, said the consultations were deliberately conducted away from public scrutiny because of the sensitivity of the issues being discussed.

It said the decision was intended to give political leaders room for frank and constructive engagement without the pressure associated with premature public disclosure.

“Achieving a credible and effective opposition will require sacrifice, compromise and a willingness to place the larger interests of the country above narrow partisan or individual considerations,” the group said.

The G100 said Its consultations followed an open letter issued to opposition leaders on August 2, 2026, in which it advanced the “Doctrine of Necessary Democratic Opposition”.

It said the doctrine was premised on the argument that Nigeria’s democracy would be strengthened if voters were presented with a credible opposition capable of effectively competing for their mandate.

It maintained that the continued fragmentation of opposition parties could undermine efforts to provide such an alternative.

“Fragmentation among those seeking to provide that alternative serves neither the opposition nor the Nigerian people,” it said.

While the consultations have reportedly established common ground on the need for greater cooperation, the G100 acknowledged that converting such goodwill into a workable political arrangement would be more difficult.

It therefore said the next phase would involve discussions on the practical modalities of cooperation, including issues of sacrifice, accommodation and collective action among the participating parties.

The group stressed that It would not determine the outcome of the process. It said its responsibility was to facilitate dialogue and build confidence among the parties.

“The G100 does not presume to dictate the outcome of these conversations. Our role is to facilitate dialogue, build confidence and help create the conditions in which the participating political parties can openly consider the difficult questions of cooperation, sacrifice, accommodation and collective action,” it said.

It further said any eventual arrangement must take into account the interests and concerns of the participating parties while placing the broader interest of Nigerians above individual or partisan considerations.

The group also linked the ongoing initiative to the principles contained in the Ibadan Declaration, particularly the call for Nigeria’s opposition to develop a credible route towards presenting a united and competitive alternative in 2027.

It said sustainable cooperation could not be achieved through imposition, but would require negotiations and ownership by the parties involved.

The G100 said the consultations conducted over the past week were only the beginning of what it described as a difficult political process requiring “patience, courage and, above all, sacrifice.”

It added that preparations were ongoing with representatives of the parties to finalise the modalities and arrangements for the August 18 summit.

The group expressed optimism that the convergence recorded during the consultations could provide a foundation for deeper cooperation, while cautioning that goodwill alone would not be sufficient.

It said the process would be deliberately pursued on the basis of inclusiveness and mutual respect.

The G100 reiterated its commitment to facilitating the unity of Nigeria’s major opposition political parties.

It noted that the initiative was being pursued in good faith and in the overriding interest of the country and its democracy.

Daily Trust reports that the latest move comes against the backdrop of a series of attempts by opposition parties and political leaders to build a common platform ahead of the 2027 elections.

This is amid concerns that continued fragmentation could work to the advantage of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Analysts have pointed to internal crises, defections and competing presidential ambitions as major obstacles to the emergence of a formidable opposition bloc.

The opposition’s unity efforts received a major push at the National Opposition Political Parties Summit in Ibadan in April, where participating parties resolved to work towards a single presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

The Ibadan Declaration also warned against alleged attempts by the ruling party to establish a one party state and called for the protection of Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.

However, the coalition-building process has since faced setbacks, with divisions emerging within the opposition camp.

Two prominent figures associated with the earlier ADC-led coalition, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, subsequently withdrew from the arrangement.

The developments have also fueled allegations among opposition figures that the ruling APC is deliberately exploiting or encouraging divisions within opposition parties to prevent the emergence of a united challenger to President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Some opposition politicians have gone further to allege attempts to weaken major opposition platforms through internal crises and institutional pressures.

The allegations have, however, been rejected by the APC, which has described claims that President Tinubu or the ruling party is working to destabilise the ADC and other opposition parties as unfounded.

The party has instead maintained that opposition crises are largely self-inflicted and that Nigeria’s multiparty system remains open to competition.

It is against this increasingly competitive and fractured political environment that the G100’s consultations with six opposition parties and its planned August 18 summit assume significance. (Daily Trust)

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