Nigeria’s opposition parties have stepped up efforts to form a united platform for the 2027 presidential election, but the push has been hit by a major setback after a faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) rejected any alliance and disowned Atiku Abubakar as the party’s candidate.
The proposed opposition coalition was unveiled at a summit organised by the G100 and the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. Representatives of the ADC, Allied Peoples Movement, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Democratic Leadership Alliance, Peoples Redemption Party and Social Democratic Party attended the meeting.
Atiku and NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi were absent, while presidential candidates Donald Duke of the PRP, Adewole Adebayo of the SDP and Moses Olusoji of the DLA took part alongside opposition leaders, lawmakers and other political figures. The organisers said the initiative is designed to avoid the fragmentation that weakened the opposition in the 2023 presidential election and develop a framework for a single presidential candidate and a four-year transition programme.
G100 leader and former APC National Vice Chairman, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, said the opposition must first agree on the rules and structure of cooperation before deciding on personalities and political positions. Five working groups are expected to produce proposals within four weeks covering a national democratic renewal covenant, a four-year transition charter, a national reform programme, an opposition unity framework and a roadmap for selecting a common presidential candidate.
The proposed transition plan would establish a four-year government focused on what the organisers described as a national reset, with emphasis on competence, integrity, inclusion and fair representation. Lukman warned that the coalition would require political sacrifices from its members and said agreements must be written and enforceable rather than based on verbal commitments.
But while the coalition talks gathered momentum, the ADC faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe declared that the party would not join any alliance, merger or coalition ahead of the 2027 election. The faction also challenged Atiku’s claim to the party’s presidential candidacy and warned him against continuing to use the ADC’s name, logo and symbols for what it described as personal political activities.
The faction accused some members of the G100 coalition and Atiku of attempting to pressure the ADC into an alliance. It said the party would instead contest the 2027 elections independently. The development introduces a significant uncertainty into the opposition strategy, particularly because Atiku’s emergence on the ADC platform had been central to the broader coalition calculations.
Other opposition figures at the summit nevertheless argued that a united front could defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress. Former Cross River State governor Donald Duke said the opposition had enough electoral strength if it could consolidate the votes won by major opposition candidates in 2023. He warned, however, that numerical strength alone would not be enough without strong structures, a clear strategy and mechanisms for protecting votes on election day.
The coalition effort is therefore facing its first major test before a common presidential candidate has even been agreed. Opposition parties must now resolve competing ambitions, the ADC dispute and questions over how the eventual candidate would be selected. Whether the talks produce a genuine political alliance or another fragmented opposition campaign could become one of the defining questions of the 2027 election.
