Nigeria’s opposition parties have taken another step towards forming a stronger political alliance ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with a proposal for a single four-year transition government at the centre of discussions.
The proposal was presented on Monday at a summit of opposition political parties in Abuja by former APC National Secretary, Salihu Lukman, speaking on behalf of the G-100 group that facilitated the meeting.
The framework proposes a Government of National Competence that would operate for a single four-year term. The proposed arrangement would be backed by what the organisers described as an enforceable transition charter.
Representatives of six political parties attended the summit. They included the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
However, some of the major figures associated with the opposition coalition, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, were absent from the meeting.
Lukman said the proposal was intended to prevent the opposition from repeating the division that affected its performance in the 2023 presidential election.
He argued that opposition parties could have a better chance of defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) if they were able to work together and eventually agree on a common presidential candidate.
The summit did not, however, ask any of the participating parties to dissolve or merge immediately. Lukman said the meeting was also not intended to force any presidential candidate to withdraw from the race.
Instead, the parties agreed to establish committees to coordinate the coalition process.
A central leadership committee, publicity and communication committee and legal committee were approved. Five working groups were also mandated to prepare proposals covering democratic renewal, the single-term transition arrangement, a national reform programme, opposition unity and a roadmap towards selecting a common presidential candidate.
The working groups are expected to submit their reports within four weeks, after which another summit will consider the proposals.
PRP presidential candidate Donald Duke said he was prepared to put aside his personal ambition if that was necessary to produce a candidate acceptable to the coalition.
The PRP National Chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, also described the gathering as an important development and said the participating parties would continue with the process despite their differences.
The parties subsequently adopted a communiqué committing them to negotiations on opposition cooperation ahead of the 2027 elections.
The proposal is part of a wider attempt by opposition parties to overcome the fragmentation that characterised the last presidential election and build a single political platform capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027.
