Lukman has revealed that the opposition parties may unveil Tinubu challenger days before election.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the G-100 Coalition has said opposition parties seeking to unite against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election may unveil a consensus candidate just days or weeks before the poll.
Convener of the group, Salihu Lukman, disclosed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Hard Copy programme, where he expressed confidence that opposition parties were committed to selecting a single presidential candidate to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Lukman, a former APC National Vice Chairman, said discussions among opposition leaders were ongoing, adding that the timing of the announcement would depend on the progress of negotiations.
“I can tell you categorically, and my confidence about that comes from what I see in the leadership of the parties: they are committed and they are working, taking all the steps necessary.
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“So it could be two months, some weeks to the election, or a few days to the election; they will come out and tell Nigerians this is the direction, and everybody will queue,” Lukman said.
The G-100 Coalition was established to encourage opposition parties to rally behind one presidential candidate capable of challenging the APC in the 2027 general election.
The initiative followed an all-opposition summit held in Ibadan in April, where participating parties agreed to pursue the possibility of presenting a consensus candidate.
According to Lukman, the process has since expanded beyond the six political parties that initially signed on, with efforts underway to bring additional parties into the proposed alliance.
He explained that political parties and their presidential candidates had assumed responsibility for the negotiations, moving the process beyond the initial framework established by the G-100.
Lukman said the parties were now engaging directly to build the mutual confidence required to reach an agreement.
“When the parties owned the process we had started and took it beyond, took it out of our hands and began to engage each other based on the need to develop the kind of confidence they need to trust one another,” he said.
Lack of Trust Remains Major Challenge
The former APC chieftain identified the lack of trust among opposition parties and their presidential candidates as one of the major obstacles to forming a united front ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He said the success of the proposed arrangement would depend on the willingness of participating parties to cooperate and accept a common direction.
Lukman also disclosed that a summit held on August 31 agreed to establish five working groups to address different aspects of the proposed alliance, including the selection of a consensus presidential candidate.
According to him, each participating party would nominate representatives to the relevant working groups through its presidential candidate or party leadership.
The representatives would then operate under agreed terms of reference to guide their activities and negotiations.
The proposed alliance is part of broader opposition efforts to coordinate political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, the eventual emergence of a consensus candidate will depend on the outcome of negotiations among the participating parties and their ability to resolve differences over leadership, strategy and candidate selection.
