2027: G100 leader admits persuading Obi, Atiku to work together difficult
G100 Leader: Uniting Opposition Candidates for 2027 Election is Challenging
Salihu Lukman, leader of the G100 political pressure group and a prominent figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), acknowledged the difficulties involved in persuading opposition presidential candidates, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, to cooperate ahead of the 2027 election.
During an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Lukman discussed the group’s ongoing efforts to unify opposition parties and their candidates. He emphasized that the primary obstacle is the ambition of each leading candidate, all desiring the presidency, while their supporters remain fiercely loyal to their preferred choices.
“This is a serious issue,” Lukman stated. “Each one of them wants to be president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but only one of them can be president.”
Lukman described the challenge of reconciling these competing ambitions and loyalties as “very difficult” but stressed the importance of encouraging candidates and their supporters to focus on the larger goal of defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He warned that if opposition candidates run separately, the outcome could mirror the results of the 2023 presidential election. “If we encourage them to go in this divided way, we will repeat what happened in 2023 and come back to square one,” he noted.
According to Lukman, the core objective should be to present a unified opposition capable of instilling confidence in the electorate and effectively challenging President Bola Tinubu and the APC.
“The main opponent is the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he remarked. “If we encourage them to continue to contest against each other, it will strengthen the main opponent.”
The G100 is engaging opposition leaders in two significant areas: negotiating a common presidential platform and developing a shared governance agenda in the event of an electoral victory in 2027. “When they win the election, what are they going to work on? These are the two issues that we are pushing,” Lukman explained.
He added that the proposed alliance must transcend merely changing political leaders. “It’s about also coming up to say, look, at the end of the day, we acknowledge Nigeria is faced with this problem, and this is how we intend to tackle it,” he remarked.
Lukman stated that the G100 has received “encouraging signals” from some opposition leaders and remains aware of the limited time before the forthcoming election in 2027.
