By Gloria Ikibah
Efforts to build a formidable opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections gathered momentum on Tuesday as the G100 delegation met with the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives to chart a common strategy aimed at defeating President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The strategic meeting, held in Abuja, centred on the need for opposition parties to set aside their differences and unite behind a single platform capable of mounting a strong challenge in the next presidential election. 
Leading the G100 delegation, former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr Salihu Lukman, warned that the opposition was in danger of repeating the mistakes that contributed to its defeat in 2023.
According to him, political fragmentation among opposition parties could once again hand victory to the APC if urgent steps were not taken.
He argued that the current political and economic realities in the country demanded a united opposition capable of offering Nigerians a credible alternative.
He said: “As opposition parties, we seem to be fragmented. And if we continue the way we are going, we are almost going to replay the 2023 scenario. And it’s almost like a case of handing over victory to the ruling party. And then we’ll go back to square one.
“We feel, given the situation the country is facing today, the country cannot afford another four years of APC government. And that whatever it will take to get our leaders back together, to do the needful, and begin to work together to ensure victory in the 2027 election, we need to do it”.
Lukman disclosed that the G100 had already begun extensive consultations with leaders of six opposition parties, including the ADC, Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
He explained that the delegation had met with presidential candidates, running mates and party chairmen to discuss the possibility of forming a united opposition front.
According to him, the consultations had produced encouraging outcomes.
He also revealed that the next phase of the initiative would be a national summit involving opposition leaders across the country.
The summit, initially scheduled for an earlier date, has now been moved to August 31 to accommodate the signing of a peace accord with the National Peace Committee.
Lukman appealed to the Minority Caucus and other opposition stakeholders to support the coalition-building process, insisting that the project was bigger than any individual or political party.
“This is not about us; it’s about the country. We are appealing that all leaders who have agreed, we should all come and join hands together and ensure that we support our leaders from the different parties to come together and agree to work towards having a common front for the 2027 election in order to guarantee victory against APC,” he said.
He added that the G100 had expanded beyond the original 100 signatories who endorsed the initiative.
According to him, the movement remains open to all Nigerians who believe in the need for a stronger and more united opposition.
“We want to ensure that everybody who believes he or she has a role to play is invited. We want to work with everyone, and that is why we are here. You are our leaders, and we want to work with you to reach out to all our leaders and ensure they get it right so that our people can begin to have some comfort that the 2027 election will not be business as usual,” Lukman added.
Also speaking, former member of the House of Representatives and a member of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Hon. Sergius Ogun, expressed confidence that President Tinubu could be defeated if opposition parties worked together.
“The weakest of us can defeat this President (Tinubu), but it will be sweeter if we come together. Sweeter, sweeter, swifter and more pleasurable. And we feel we should bring the house together and have a common front,” Ogun said.
He argued that the opposition would remain ineffective as long as political parties continued to operate independently.
“It’s when we can speak with one voice because today we have only one individual and one party tormenting this whole country. And the earlier we come together as one body and speak for Nigerians, the better for all of us,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the lawmakers, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rep. Fred Agbedi, pledged the caucus’s full support for the initiative.
He disclosed that the caucus had already begun similar consultations with opposition parties and presidential candidates in a bid to strengthen collaboration ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to him, members of the caucus remained actively involved in coalition-building efforts despite the ongoing legislative recess.
“When we saw the G100, it matches our position. And so this is a marriage of confidence, and we believe that we are keyed in already, individually and collectively, as opposition parties in the House of Representatives in particular,” Agbedi said.
He assured the delegation that the Minority Caucus would participate in the technical committee established to drive the process.
Agbedi added that the shared objective of both groups was to build a stronger opposition capable of providing effective leadership and offering Nigerians a viable political alternative.
He said the caucus was committed to working with all stakeholders to “work together to salvage Nigeria.”
