Convener of the G100 political pressure group, Salihu Lukman, has highlighted some of the major challenges presenting opposition political parties from achieving its aim to present a single presidential candidate to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Hard Copy, Lukman, however, expressed confidence that ongoing consultations among opposition parties would produce an agreement on a common candidate.
He said the parties had made progress beyond the expectations of the G100 group, which has been engaging political leaders to unite the opposition ahead of the elections.
“Well, first, let me remind you that when we came together as G100, our objective was to engage the political parties and their candidates and get them to recognise the challenge.
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“So far, the indicators are there. We have succeeded beyond some of our expectations, and I’m sure the leadership of the parties will begin to make public statements themselves to indicate the direction they are going,” he said.
Lukman said the parties had taken over the process of negotiations and were engaging one another to build the confidence and trust required to agree on a consensus candidate.
He identified the lack of trust among opposition parties and their presidential candidates as one of the major obstacles to the proposed alliance.
“The major issues which you journalists keep highlighting and you don’t help matters at all is the trust deficit among even the parties and the candidates,” he said.
According to him, the G100 believes that the quality of relationships among the parties and their candidates will determine whether they can agree to make the necessary sacrifices for a common political objective.
Lukman expressed confidence that the opposition leaders would eventually reach an agreement, arguing that allowing their candidates to contest separately could weaken their chances of defeating the APC.
He cited the position of Catholic cleric, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, whom he said had similarly warned that opposition candidates could undermine their chances by splitting the votes among themselves.
“There is no way candidates will split, opposition candidate will split people five ways and expect one of them to win against a ruling party.
“They are just basically handing over victory to the ruling party,” Lukman said, recounting Onaiyekan’s argument.
The G100 convener said the opposition parties had agreed to establish a working group to develop recommendations on how to select a consensus presidential candidate.
He said the decision formed part of the resolutions reached at an opposition summit held on August 31, 2026.
According to him, the summit agreed to establish five working groups, including one specifically tasked with developing a framework for selecting the single candidate.
Lukman said that the political parties and their presidential candidates would nominate representatives to the working group, which would operate within an agreed framework and timeframe.
He said the group would make recommendations and propose options to guide negotiations among the parties.
“The aim is basically about ensuring that both the parties and their candidates are the ones taking the decisions,” he said.
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