2027: PRP Sets Fresh Terms For Opposition Coalition

The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has set fresh conditions for its participation in the emerging opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that the alliance must offer Nigerians more than a plan to remove the All Progressives Congress (APC) from power.

National Chairman of the PRP, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said the party was already part of the coalition in principle but would not sacrifice its ideology, identity and core values for the sake of political cooperation.

Baba-Ahmed said the coalition must clearly define what it represents and present Nigerians with practical solutions to some of the country’s major problems, particularly insecurity, poverty and divisions.

“We need to tell Nigerians what the coalition is about beyond just replacing the APC government,” he said.

The PRP chairman warned that the party would withdraw from the arrangement if the coalition adopted policies, principles or strategies that contradicted its values.

“We will walk away if the coalition were to adopt policy, principles, identity or strategy that offends the core values of the PRP,” he said.

According to him, the opposition alliance must convince Nigerians that it represents a different political direction rather than simply becoming another platform for politicians seeking to take over government.

Baba-Ahmed said about six or seven active opposition parties were currently working together under the emerging arrangement, while other parties could still join the discussions.

He described the coalition as a “coalition of the willing and the able”, stressing that the arrangement was being built around trust and caution.

The PRP chairman said the party would not accept any political baggage that could undermine the quality or sincerity of the proposed alliance.

He also made it clear that the PRP would not remain in the coalition if it eventually became, in his assessment, a worse alternative to the continuation of the Bola Tinubu administration.

The comments come as opposition parties continue efforts to build a common political platform ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with disagreements over leadership, presidential ambition and the possibility of a single candidate remaining central to the negotiations.

Several opposition parties met in Abuja in August under the G-100 platform to discuss cooperation and the possibility of presenting a common presidential candidate. However, the absence of major opposition figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), underscored the difficulties surrounding the coalition talks.

The absence of the two presidential contenders, as well as their running mates, has raised questions about whether the leading opposition figures will eventually agree to surrender their individual ambitions in favour of a consensus candidate.

The Abuja meeting followed previous efforts to bring opposition parties together, including a gathering in Ibadan on April 25 led by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. That meeting also failed to produce the broad political arrangement being sought by its organisers.

The opposition coalition discussions have also included proposals for a possible one-term presidency for whoever emerges as a joint candidate.

However, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said the coalition discussions should not be reduced to the search for a single presidential candidate.

“To the best of our knowledge, there were so many things on the agenda beyond producing a single presidential candidate. One of the lead conveners said it is also about exploring areas of cooperation among the political parties,” Abdullahi said.

“If it will lead to a situation where we have a single presidential candidate, it will be fine. But that is not the main objective of the conversation.”

Baba-Ahmed said the PRP had examined previous opposition coalitions and recognised that political alliances were shaped by the circumstances under which they were formed.

He cited the 2015 political arrangement as an example of a coalition that demonstrated the possibility of opposition parties working together under certain conditions.

He said the current initiative was also being developed with lessons from previous political experiences as well as the realities confronting the country.

The PRP chairman maintained that his party remained an electoral force despite not controlling federal or state governments and therefore lacking access to the resources available to parties in power.

He said the PRP’s strength was its ideology, principles and commitment to ordinary Nigerians, rather than financial inducements.

“We may not have money to give you to vote for us, and we don’t even want to give you money to vote for us,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed said the party would instead seek the trust of Nigerians through its plans to change the country’s development trajectory.

He added that the PRP wanted to play a frontline role in rebuilding Nigeria and creating a safer and more secure future.

Despite the party’s presidential ambition, Baba-Ahmed said the PRP was prepared to consider giving up its own candidate if doing so became necessary for a stronger opposition platform.

He, however, stressed that such a decision would depend on the terms of the arrangement and whether the party was convinced that the sacrifice would serve a worthwhile political objective.

The chairman said the party had an “excellent” presidential candidate in former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke.

Duke himself has previously indicated that he could step aside if the opposition coalition produces a candidate considered suitable for its shared objective.

“Absolutely. First of all, once we have a commonality and objective, the next question is who is best suited for this, right?” Duke said.

He compared the process to sports, saying he wanted to be part of the political contest because he believed the coalition needed different voices.

“I want to be in that because I think you need some voice of reason amongst a lot of them,” he said.

Duke has also warned that failure by opposition parties to resolve their differences could affect their efforts to challenge Tinubu in 2027.

“Absolutely, with the chequered opposition it won’t work; Tinubu might win,” he said.

“The reality is that things are bound to happen on that (election) day, how to mitigate those things should be the major concern of the opposition.”

The former governor added: “I don’t like people who cry wolf after it has happened and all that. We have done this several times over, we should anticipate it, and united we stand if we do it, if we don’t, then we will only have ourselves to blame because it has repeated itself.”

The coalition effort has attracted criticism from the ruling APC, with National Secretary Ajibola Basiru questioning whether the opposition parties could overcome their individual ambitions and agree on one candidate.

“They cannot get a single candidate. Their case is like a maize inside a bottle that hens cannot eat. That is the analogy,” Basiru said.

He argued that the opposition parties had failed to reach an agreement before their respective primaries and questioned how they could achieve a consensus after candidates had emerged.

“The truth is that candidates have emerged on the platforms of all political parties. It is laughable for anybody to now say he or she wants to have a single candidature. It is like closing the stable when the horse has already escaped,” he said.

APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka also criticised the coalition discussions, pointing to the absence of major opposition figures at the Abuja meeting.

“The absence of the principal actors at the gathering was enough to show that their move hit the rock before the journey even began,” Morka said.