2027: Opposition To Unveil Consensus Presidential Candidate Days Before Election — Lukman

…Former APC chieftain says six parties working on alliance, warns against vote splitting

Toyyibat Qasim 

The convener of the G100 political pressure group, Salihu Lukman, has said opposition parties seeking to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 general elections may unveil a consensus presidential candidate just days before the poll.

Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman of the APC, said opposition leaders were committed to the plan and were working towards reaching an agreement on a single candidate capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu.

He disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Hard Copy programme, adding that the announcement could come months, weeks or even days before the election.

“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,” he said.

He added, “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.”

The G100 was established to mobilise opposition parties towards a common political front following an all-opposition summit in Ibadan in April 2026, where participants resolved to work towards presenting a consensus presidential candidate against the APC.

Lukman said the initiative had moved beyond the pressure group’s original role, with political parties and their presidential candidates taking ownership of the process and engaging one another to build the trust required for a successful alliance.

He added that the coalition-building effort was no longer restricted to the six parties initially involved, disclosing that consultations were ongoing to bring additional parties into the arrangement.

“They are also working to expand; they are reaching out to other parties,” he said.

Trust deficit threatens opposition alliance

Lukman identified the lack of trust among opposition parties and their presidential candidates as a major obstacle to the emergence of a consensus candidate.

According to him, the parties had taken steps to address the challenge by establishing working groups to coordinate discussions and develop a framework for the proposed alliance.

He said a meeting held on August 31 agreed to establish five working groups, including one specifically mandated to work towards producing a single presidential candidate.

Under the arrangement, each participating party is expected to nominate representatives through its presidential candidate or the party leadership, based on agreed terms of reference.

Lukman explained that the structure was designed to ensure that decisions were taken by the parties and their candidates rather than imposed by external actors.

“The collegiate is basically about ensuring that both the parties and their candidates are the ones taking the decisions, and at the same time the people doing the work are people who have the mandate of both the parties and the candidates, not anybody from outside,” he said.

He maintained that the success of the initiative would depend on the willingness of the political actors to trust one another and prioritise the broader objective of defeating the ruling party.

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