Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi are among opposition leaders expected to meet in Abuja on Monday, August 31, as efforts intensify to build a stronger opposition alliance ahead of the 2027 general election.
The meeting, convened by the G100, is scheduled to hold at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja and is expected to bring together leaders and key stakeholders from six opposition political parties.
The participating parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The summit, themed “A Framework for Opposition Cooperation and Coordination,” is expected to provide a platform for discussions on the principles, terms and structures that could guide cooperation among the parties.
The meeting comes amid growing pressure on opposition parties to overcome their differences and prevent the fragmentation of votes in the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku is the presidential candidate of the ADC, while Obi is the presidential candidate of the NDC. However, the proposed cooperation is not expected to immediately resolve the question of who would lead a possible joint presidential ticket.
The G100 has said the immediate objective is to establish a formal structure through which the participating parties can negotiate their interests and identify areas of cooperation.
G100 convenor, Salihu Moh. Lukman, said the initiative was not designed to force any of the participating parties to abandon its identity.
He said the central issue before the parties should initially focus on what they could collectively offer Nigeria rather than who would lead a possible presidential ticket.
The planned summit follows several weeks of consultations between the G100 and representatives of the six political parties. The consultations began after the group released its “Doctrine of a Necessary Democratic Opposition” on August 2, 2026.
The document called for greater cooperation among opposition parties and argued that a fragmented opposition could face difficulties in mounting a strong challenge in the 2027 election.
Lukman said the consultations were deliberately conducted away from the public spotlight because of the sensitive issues involved.
According to him, representatives of the G100 held discussions with national chairmen, presidential candidates and running mates of the participating parties.
He said the consultations revealed a shared recognition of the need for a credible, organised and competitive democratic opposition, as well as a willingness to address the difficult issues involved in achieving meaningful cooperation ahead of 2027.
As part of the proposed framework, the G100 is seeking approval for the establishment of five specialised Working Groups.
The groups are expected to operate for four weeks after the summit and develop the principal documents and agreements that could eventually guide cooperation among the participating parties.
The proposed structure is intended to give the alliance an institutional framework rather than relying solely on informal consultations among individual politicians.
According to the G100, cooperation would not require any participating party to dissolve or surrender its identity. The group also said the first summit was not intended to determine the presidential candidate or the final form of opposition cooperation in a single meeting.
Instead, it is expected to establish a formal architecture through which contentious issues can be negotiated collectively and transparently.
Delegations from the six parties are expected to include members of their National Working Committees and other key representatives. Presidential candidates and their running mates are also expected to participate.
The summit comes against the background of continuing discussions over the possibility of a single opposition presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Although Atiku and Obi have remained open to opposition cooperation, neither camp has indicated that its candidate is prepared to automatically withdraw from the presidential race.
The issue of who would emerge as a consensus candidate remains one of the major challenges facing the proposed alliance.
Atiku contested the 2023 presidential election under the PDP before emerging as the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Obi, who was Atiku’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election, contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party before moving towards the NDC platform.
The political history between the two politicians has consequently remained an important factor in discussions surrounding a possible opposition alliance.
The NDC has previously expressed preference for Obi to lead any coalition that eventually adopts a consensus presidential candidate, maintaining that he was the party’s preferred choice.
Atiku’s emergence as the ADC candidate has added another layer to the negotiations, prompting the G100 to prioritise the establishment of a framework for cooperation before addressing the more contentious question of the presidential ticket.
