The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives and the G100 Opposition Coalition have intensified calls for opposition parties to unite behind a single presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The move is aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2023 presidential election, when votes were divided among several opposition candidates, paving the way for the victory of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The Minority Leader of the House, Frederick Agbedi, made the call on Tuesday after members of the caucus met with the G100 Opposition Coalition, led by former APC chieftain, Salihu Lukman.
Agbedi urged opposition politicians across party lines to set aside personal ambitions and work towards a common political platform capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu and the APC.
He said the growing hardship and frustration among Nigerians required opposition parties to close ranks rather than continue fighting among themselves.
“We have also used this opportunity to call on all members of the opposition, no matter the party you belong to, no matter your ambition, that there is strength in unity and that the opposition should unite to ensure that we wrest power from the APC in 2027,” Agbedi said.
The lawmaker warned that the continued fragmentation of opposition parties could hand the ruling party another electoral advantage.
According to him, the opposition risks repeating the 2023 experience if it fails to unite around a common candidate and strategy.
“Nigerians are seriously in pain, Nigerians are wailing, Nigerians are so frustrated, and there is no reason why, as opposition voices, we should not stand up for Nigerians and bring support to them,” he said.
Agbedi disclosed that the G100 had engaged political leaders, presidential candidates, running mates and national chairmen across six opposition parties as part of its consultations for a common political front.
He said the responses so far had been encouraging.
Lukman, who spoke on behalf of the coalition, said the proposed national opposition summit earlier scheduled for Tuesday had been postponed to August 31 to allow further consultations with political leaders and avoid a clash with the signing of the national peace accord.
He said the summit would bring together major opposition figures and leaders of various political parties to deliberate on the possibility of forging a stronger alliance ahead of the 2027 election.
Among those expected at the summit are the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, and the standard-bearer of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, alongside other opposition leaders and stakeholders.
Lukman said the coalition was concerned that continued division among opposition parties could produce another 2023 outcome, when multiple opposition candidates split the anti-incumbency vote.
He disclosed that the G100 had also constituted a technical committee to deepen consultations and develop a framework for cooperation among opposition parties.
The former APC national vice-chairman, North-West, said the initiative had grown beyond its original 100-member structure as more Nigerians continued to express interest in the campaign for a united opposition.
“This is not about us; it’s about the country,” Lukman said, urging opposition leaders to work together to ensure that the 2027 election would not be “business as usual.”
A former member of the House of Representatives and member of the G100 delegation, Sergius Ogun, said opposition parties stood a better chance of defeating Tinubu if they presented a united front.
He urged opposition politicians to stop attacking one another and concentrate their energy on presenting an alternative to the ruling APC.
Ogun said, “The weakest of us can defeat this president. But it will be sweeter if we come together.”
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