Atiku, Obi, Makinde Absent As Opposition Parties Meet

The summit of opposition parties opened in Abuja on Monday without some of the biggest names expected to shape the proposed alliance ahead of the 2027 general election.

Naija News reports that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC); former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi; the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM); and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, were among the notable absentees at the meeting held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre.

Despite the absence of prominent politicians, the gathering included other presidential and vice-presidential contenders.

The presidential candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, were present.

Also in attendance was the Allied Peoples Movement vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Musa Daura, alongside members of the National Working Committees and some members of the Boards of Trustees of the participating political parties.

The six parties involved in the initiative include the ADC, APM, NDC, PDP, PRP and SDP

In his address delivered on behalf of the G100, Salihu Lukman unveiled a proposed political framework that would culminate in the establishment of what he described as a Government of National Competence.

He said the proposed arrangement would be based on competence, integrity, inclusiveness and equitable representation for parties that participate in the coalition process.

Lukman said, “The Framework before you proposes something more demanding than a merger of ambitions: a Government of National Competence, built on competence, integrity, national inclusion, and fair representation of every party that contributes to the effort.”

He added that the proposed government should operate for a single four-year transition period, with the commitment formally captured in an enforceable agreement.

According to him, the proposed arrangement should be “secured by a political commitment to a single four-year term, written into an enforceable Transition Charter.”

Lukman warned opposition leaders against relying on verbal assurances, saying previous political agreements had often failed because they lacked mechanisms to compel parties and politicians to honour their commitments.

He said the current initiative must therefore produce a formal agreement that holds all participants accountable.

“We want to underline the word ‘enforceable.’ This gathering does not need more sincerity. Nigerian politics has never suffered from a shortage of sincere promises.

“What it has suffered from is promises that nobody could enforce when the person who made them changed his/her mind,” he stated.

Lukman insisted that any agreement emerging from the negotiations must be properly documented and backed by consequences for breaches.

He said the proposed resolution “must be written, it must be witnessed, and it must have consequences”.