A coalition of opposition politicians under the banner of G-100 on Tuesday met with the Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives to push for a united front and a single presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The engagement is part of intensified efforts by opposition leaders to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in 2027.
Reports had it that the G-100 delegation was led by its Convener and former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Mallam Salihu Lukman. The House Minority Leader, Hon. Fred Agbedi, led the Minority Caucus at the meeting held in Abuja.
Speaking during the meeting, Lukman expressed concerns over what he described as the “deplorable state of the nation” and the consistent dwindling fortunes of opposition parties.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), chieftain warned that the opposition risks losing again in 2027 if it fails to present a united front, just as it did in 2023.
According to him, “As opposition parties, we seem to be fragmented. And if we continue the way we are going, we are almost going to replay the 2023 scenario. And it’s almost like a case of handing over victory to the ruling party. And then we’ll go back to square one.”
Lukman urged opposition leaders to sacrifice individual political ambitions, arguing that allowing the APC another four years in power “would spell doom for the nation.”
“We feel, given the situation the country is facing today, the country cannot afford another four years of APC government,” he said. “Whatever it will take to get our leaders back together, to do the needful, and begin to work together to ensure victory in the 2027 election, we need to do it.”
He declared that G-100 was established to rescue Nigeria from what he called the “rudderless leadership” of the Tinubu administration, and reiterated the need for opposition leaders to present a common front in 2027.
“Our mission is simple. It was a follow-up to the open letter we issued to our leaders, of which you are part of that leadership, and we all came together out of concern,” Lukman stated, noting that the concern was opposition fragmentation.
He explained that given Nigeria’s current challenges, it is imperative for opposition leaders to put aside their differences and work toward a common political objective.
Lukman disclosed that G-100 has already embarked on consultations with key leaders across six opposition parties: ADC, NDC, PDP, APM, PRP and SDP.
He said the consultations involved presidential candidates, running mates and national chairmen, with G-100 arguing that opposition leaders must negotiate a common front if they are serious about defeating the APC.
He added that the responses have been encouraging, which prompted the decision to convene a national summit of opposition leaders fixed for August 31, 2026.
Appealing to the Minority Caucus and other stakeholders, Lukman said, “This is not about us; it’s about the country. We are appealing that all leaders who have agreed, we should all come and join hands together and ensure that we support our leaders from the different parties to come together and agree to work towards having a common front for the 2027 election to guarantee victory against the APC.”
In his response, Minority Leader Fred Agbedi declared the full support of the caucus for G-100, noting that the House Minority had already begun its own consultations with opposition parties and presidential candidates to build a formidable opposition ahead of 2027.
“When we saw the G100, it matched our position. And so, this is a marriage of confidence, and we believe that we are keyed in already, individually and collectively, as opposition parties in the House of Representatives in particular,” Agbedi said.
He assured G-100 that the caucus was ready to work with them and participate in the technical committee established to advance the unity agenda, with the ultimate objective to “work together to salvage Nigeria.”
Also speaking at the meeting, former member of the House, Sergius Ogun, expressed optimism that the opposition parties can unseat President Tinubu if only they present a common candidate in 2027.
