2027: G100, Opposition Lawmakers Join Forces to Unseat Tinubu

The G100 has stepped up its campaign for opposition unity ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the group meeting members of the Minority Caucus in the 10th House of Representatives to push for a common political front against President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The meeting formed part of wider consultations by the group with opposition political parties, lawmakers and other stakeholders.

According to them, the objective is to bring the major opposition blocs together before the 2027 presidential election.

The G100 delegation was led by Dr Salihu Lukman, a former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and a prominent member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Lukman told the lawmakers that the opposition could not afford to repeat the experience of the 2023 presidential election, when major opposition parties contested separately and President Tinubu’s APC eventually emerged victorious.

He said the continued division among opposition parties could once again work in favour of the ruling party if political leaders failed to reach an agreement before the next election.

“As opposition parties, we seem to be fragmented. And if we continue the way we are going, we are almost going to replay 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.”

The G100 said its campaign was not aimed at promoting a particular political party or individual.

Instead, the group wants opposition leaders to negotiate and agree on a workable arrangement that could produce a strong challenger to the APC.

Lukman said the political situation in the country made such cooperation necessary.

“We feel given the situation the country is facing today, the country cannot afford another four years of APC government. And that 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 said.

The group has already opened discussions with leaders of several opposition parties as part of the process.

The parties named in the consultations include the ADC, Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

According to Lukman, the G100 has held discussions with national chairmen, presidential candidates and running mates of some of the parties.

He said the responses received so far had encouraged the group to continue with its plans for a broader opposition alliance.

The push comes as opposition leaders continue to debate how best to challenge the APC in 2027.

There have been repeated calls for leading opposition figures to put aside individual presidential ambitions and agree on a single platform or candidate capable of attracting voters across political and regional lines.

Lukman has repeatedly warned that the opposition risks losing another election if it fails to resolve the issue of multiple candidates.

In recent weeks, he has also argued that the problem goes beyond simply creating a new political party.

According to him, the more important challenge is getting influential opposition politicians to accept the need for cooperation and compromise.

At the meeting with the lawmakers, he urged the Minority Caucus to become part of the process.

“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 in order to guarantee victory against APC,” Lukman said.

He also explained that the G100 had expanded beyond the original group of 100 people who signed its initial declaration.

The initiative, he said, remains open to political actors and Nigerians who believe they can contribute to building a stronger opposition ahead of the election.

“We want to ensure that everybody who believes has a role to play is invited. We work with everyone and that is why we are here. You are our leaders, we want to work with you to reach out to all our leaders and ensure they get it right so that our people can begin to have some comfort that the 2027 election will not be business as usual,” he said.

Also speaking during the meeting, former member of the 9th House of Representatives, Hon Sergius Ogun of the NDC, backed the call for opposition parties to unite.

Ogun maintained that the ruling APC could be defeated if the opposition stopped working as separate political camps.

He said the strength of the opposition would increase considerably if its various parties and leaders agreed to operate under a common arrangement.

“The weakest of us can defeat this President (Tinubu), but it will be sweeter if we come together. Sweeter, sweeter, swifter and more pleasurable. And we feel we should bring the house together, have a common front.”

Ogun also stressed the importance of speaking with one voice on issues affecting Nigerians.

He said the opposition would struggle to convince voters if its major parties continued to pursue different political interests without a common direction.

“It’s when we can speak with one voice, because today we have only one individual and one party tormenting this whole country. And the earlier we come together as one body and speak for Nigerians, the better for all of us.”

The Minority Caucus responded positively to the proposal.

Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon Fred Agbedi, said the lawmakers were already engaged in consultations aimed at strengthening cooperation among opposition parties and their political leaders.

Agbedi said the G100 initiative was consistent with the position of the Minority Caucus.

“When we saw the G100, it matches 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,” he said.

The Minority Leader further assured the delegation that the caucus would participate in the technical committee created to advance the opposition-unity discussions.

He said the lawmakers were prepared to work with the G100 and other stakeholders towards building a political arrangement that could provide Nigerians with a stronger alternative in 2027.

In June, Agbedi had called on President Tinubu to either provide stronger leadership in tackling the country’s security and economic problems or step aside.

The caucus also accused the administration of giving too much attention to 2027 politics while Nigerians continued to face insecurity and rising hardship.

The lawmakers had also demanded that political activities should not take priority over the security and welfare of Nigerians.