2027: Atiku, Obi, Makinde Face New Test as Opposition Coalition Talks Intensify

Nigeria’s 2027 presidential race has entered a new phase, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) having published the formal field of candidates while efforts to build a broader opposition arrangement continue.

INEC’s current list contains 18 presidential candidates and their running mates, including President Bola Tinubu of the APC, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the ADC, Peter Obi of the NDC and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the APM.

The development gives voters a clearer picture of the presidential field, but it also highlights a challenge for opposition politicians: several prominent figures are now campaigning under different parties and presidential tickets. Any attempt to build a common platform would therefore involve negotiations among candidates and parties that have already completed their nomination processes.

One of the clearest signs of continuing engagement has been the renewed interaction between Peter Obi and Seyi Makinde. The two appeared together at the inauguration of Makinde’s APM presidential campaign office in Abuja, where an agenda described as “Reset Nigeria” was discussed.

Obi has described Makinde as qualified to seek the presidency and called for opposition politicians to focus on issues including poverty, hunger and insecurity. However, public engagement between the two politicians does not by itself establish that they have agreed to a joint ticket or formal alliance.

Atiku’s candidacy remains another major factor in the coalition discussions. Recent efforts to bring opposition candidates together have included proposals for a single presidential candidate, with Professor Pat Utomi expected to lead fresh consultations involving Atiku, Obi, Makinde and other presidential candidates. The Movement for Credible Elections said the discussions are expected to take place over the coming weeks.

The difficulty is that any agreement reached after the nomination of multiple candidates would have to address more than the identity of a presidential candidate. Parties and candidates would have to consider campaign structures, policy priorities, running-mate arrangements, resources, voter mobilisation and how existing supporters would respond to any change.

Peter Obi has also publicly ruled out stepping down for Atiku under the current circumstances, saying any opposition arrangement would need to meet conditions acceptable to him and his political platform.

The opposition calculations are further complicated by Nyesom Wike, who has openly declared his support for President Tinubu’s re-election while maintaining that the PDP can field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

Wike has also rejected the description of his “rainbow coalition” as an arrangement with the APC, describing it instead as a cross-party effort to mobilise support for Tinubu. His position illustrates how political alliances can cut across formal party boundaries, particularly when presidential and subnational contests are considered separately.

For the opposition, the immediate issue is therefore not simply whether its major figures can meet or publicly share platforms. The more consequential question is whether those contacts can produce a formal arrangement that political parties, candidates and their supporters are prepared to implement.

That would require agreement on leadership, policy, campaign organisation, resources and voter mobilisation, as well as decisions about what happens to candidates who have already secured their parties’ presidential tickets.

The coming weeks could provide clearer evidence of the direction of the talks. Joint statements, formal agreements, coordinated campaign activities and decisions by party structures would provide stronger indications of political alignment than individual meetings or public appearances.

For now, Nigeria has a defined presidential field, but opposition politicians are still negotiating how much cooperation is possible within that field. The outcome of those discussions will depend on whether the competing candidates and parties can reach an arrangement that goes beyond consultations and translates into an organised political structure.