The renewed effort by the opposition to produce a single presidential candidate to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election may be heading for another setback, with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s reported support for Peter Obi emerging as one of the factors complicating the process.

The latest push is being championed by the G100, a platform seeking to bring opposition parties together and encourage them to agree on one candidate capable of defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the 2027 presidential election.

However, sources close to the opposition coalition said the initiative may struggle to achieve its objective because of disagreements among the major opposition figures and the different political interests surrounding the candidacies of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Obi.

Although six political parties met in Abuja on Monday, August 31, to reaffirm their commitment to the G100 initiative, neither Atiku nor Obi attended the meeting. Their running mates were also absent, raising fresh questions about whether the leading opposition presidential contenders are prepared to surrender their ambitions for a consensus candidate.

Sources said the difficulty goes beyond the absence of the two politicians from the meeting, arguing that the political circumstances surrounding Obi’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) could make it difficult for him to step aside for another candidate.

One of the sources said the original idea behind the formation of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was to create a platform capable of bringing opposition politicians together under one umbrella before the 2027 election. Atiku was said to have supported the arrangement, but the entry and subsequent exit of other major opposition figures changed the political calculations.

“The push by G100, to the best of my knowledge, may not see the light of day. This is because it is more of a medicine after death,” the source stated.

The source argued that Atiku had initially embraced the idea of a united opposition and supported the formation of the ADC as a vehicle for challenging the APC, but the failure of the major opposition figures to remain together had weakened the prospects of producing a consensus candidate.

According to the source, “Recall that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was sold on the idea of a united opposition going into the 2027 election, and he supported the formation of the ADC, which was meant to be a vehicle for opposition politics against the All Progressives Congress (APC). But after much ado and the late entry of Mr Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, the duo eventually bailed, and right now they are contesting on another platform.”

The source added, “I don’t see how those who divided the opposition can get a united front at the end of the day.”

Another source said discussions held between opposition politicians and foreign diplomats before the establishment of the ADC had reinforced the argument that only a united opposition could defeat Tinubu in 2027. The source claimed that Atiku was then considered to have the strongest chance of leading such an arrangement.

However, the source said the emergence of separate political platforms and presidential candidates had made the G100 initiative more difficult.

The situation is further complicated, according to another source, by Obasanjo’s reported role in Obi’s political journey. The former president was said to have played a significant role in Obi’s emergence as the NDC presidential candidate, while also influencing the choice of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as Obi’s running mate.

The source claimed that Obasanjo had opposed any arrangement that would have seen Obi accept a vice-presidential position under Atiku on the ADC platform.

“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was said to have vowed to disown Peter Obi if he ever accepted the vice-presidential ticket of the ADC with Atiku as the candidate,” the source stated.

The source further claimed that Obasanjo also played a role in ensuring that Kwankwaso became Obi’s running mate, recalling their political relationship dating back to Obasanjo’s presidency.

“Remember that Kwankwaso was one of the beloved governors when Obasanjo was president, and when he lost the bid for a second term in 2003, OBJ made him Minister of Defence,” the source added.

According to the source, Obasanjo’s reported position could make it difficult for Obi to withdraw from the presidential race in favour of another candidate unless he himself emerges as the opposition’s consensus candidate.

The G100 initiative is coming after several previous attempts by opposition politicians to create a united platform ahead of 2027. The latest Abuja meeting was intended to revive discussions around cooperation among opposition parties and explore the possibility of presenting a common presidential candidate.

However, the ADC has sought to play down the idea that the meeting was solely about forcing the leading presidential contenders to step aside.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the discussions covered a broader range of issues, including cooperation between political parties.

“To the best of our knowledge, there were so many things on the agenda beyond producing a single presidential candidate. One of the lead conveners said it is also about exploring areas of cooperation among the political parties,” Abdullahi said.

“If it will lead to a situation where we have a single presidential candidate, it will be fine. But that is not the main objective of the conversation,” he added.

Despite the explanation, sources said the ADC and NDC were participating in the G100 process partly to avoid being blamed if the opposition ultimately fails to unite before the election.

“In any case, the two key parties, the NDC and the ADC, are just patching up with the opposition alliance, despite the realities in their camps,” one source said.

The source added that the ADC believes it has a route to victory against Tinubu even without the wider opposition alliance, while the NDC is also projecting confidence in its own electoral prospects.

“None of the parties want to carry the blame or stand accused of being responsible for the failure of the G100 agenda,” the source said.

The ruling APC has meanwhile dismissed the possibility of the opposition successfully producing a single candidate, arguing that the parties had already gone through their respective processes and produced candidates.

APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, described the opposition’s attempt to reach a consensus at this stage as unrealistic.

“They cannot get a single candidate. Their case is like a maize inside a bottle that hens cannot eat. That is the analogy,” Basiru said.

He argued that the opposition parties had failed to unite when they had the opportunity to do so before their primaries.

“In the build-up to the primaries, they could not come together. They went their separate ways. They are not driven by the love for Nigeria, but by a selfish agenda. They are dishonest,” he said.

Basiru also maintained that the emergence of candidates across the different political platforms had made the idea of a single candidature difficult to achieve.

“The truth is that candidates have emerged on the platforms of all political parties. It is laughable for anybody to now say he or she wants to have a single candidature. It is like closing the stable when the horse has already escaped,” he said.

He added, “Because they are motivated by their individual inordinate ambition and not the interest of the Nigerian people, they cannot come to any understanding and unanimity as to anybody stepping down for themselves.”

APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, also questioned the seriousness of the coalition effort, pointing to the absence of the major presidential contenders from the Abuja meeting.

“The absence of the principal actors at the gathering was enough to show that their move hit the rock before the journey even began,” Morka said.

He further warned that the opposition could suffer another major defeat at the 2027 election.

“They will be roundly rejected at the polls again. The defeat they suffered in 2023 was child’s play compared to what Nigerians will do to them in 2027,” he said.

The renewed effort by the opposition to produce a single presidential candidate to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election may be heading for another setback, with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s reported support for Peter Obi emerging as one of the factors complicating the process.

The latest push is being championed by the G100, a platform seeking to bring opposition parties together and encourage them to agree on one candidate capable of defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the 2027 presidential election.

However, sources close to the opposition coalition said the initiative may struggle to achieve its objective because of disagreements among the major opposition figures and the different political interests surrounding the candidacies of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Obi.

Although six political parties met in Abuja on Monday, August 31, to reaffirm their commitment to the G100 initiative, neither Atiku nor Obi attended the meeting. Their running mates were also absent, raising fresh questions about whether the leading opposition presidential contenders are prepared to surrender their ambitions for a consensus candidate.

Sources said the difficulty goes beyond the absence of the two politicians from the meeting, arguing that the political circumstances surrounding Obi’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) could make it difficult for him to step aside for another candidate.

One of the sources said the original idea behind the formation of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was to create a platform capable of bringing opposition politicians together under one umbrella before the 2027 election. Atiku was said to have supported the arrangement, but the entry and subsequent exit of other major opposition figures changed the political calculations.

“The push by G100, to the best of my knowledge, may not see the light of day. This is because it is more of a medicine after death,” the source stated.

The source argued that Atiku had initially embraced the idea of a united opposition and supported the formation of the ADC as a vehicle for challenging the APC, but the failure of the major opposition figures to remain together had weakened the prospects of producing a consensus candidate.

According to the source, “Recall that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was sold on the idea of a united opposition going into the 2027 election, and he supported the formation of the ADC, which was meant to be a vehicle for opposition politics against the All Progressives Congress (APC). But after much ado and the late entry of Mr Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, the duo eventually bailed, and right now they are contesting on another platform.”

The source added, “I don’t see how those who divided the opposition can get a united front at the end of the day.”

Another source said discussions held between opposition politicians and foreign diplomats before the establishment of the ADC had reinforced the argument that only a united opposition could defeat Tinubu in 2027. The source claimed that Atiku was then considered to have the strongest chance of leading such an arrangement.

However, the source said the emergence of separate political platforms and presidential candidates had made the G100 initiative more difficult.

The situation is further complicated, according to another source, by Obasanjo’s reported role in Obi’s political journey. The former president was said to have played a significant role in Obi’s emergence as the NDC presidential candidate, while also influencing the choice of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as Obi’s running mate.

The source claimed that Obasanjo had opposed any arrangement that would have seen Obi accept a vice-presidential position under Atiku on the ADC platform.

“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was said to have vowed to disown Peter Obi if he ever accepted the vice-presidential ticket of the ADC with Atiku as the candidate,” the source stated.

The source further claimed that Obasanjo also played a role in ensuring that Kwankwaso became Obi’s running mate, recalling their political relationship dating back to Obasanjo’s presidency.

“Remember that Kwankwaso was one of the beloved governors when Obasanjo was president, and when he lost the bid for a second term in 2003, OBJ made him Minister of Defence,” the source added.

According to the source, Obasanjo’s reported position could make it difficult for Obi to withdraw from the presidential race in favour of another candidate unless he himself emerges as the opposition’s consensus candidate.

The G100 initiative is coming after several previous attempts by opposition politicians to create a united platform ahead of 2027. The latest Abuja meeting was intended to revive discussions around cooperation among opposition parties and explore the possibility of presenting a common presidential candidate.

However, the ADC has sought to play down the idea that the meeting was solely about forcing the leading presidential contenders to step aside.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the discussions covered a broader range of issues, including cooperation between political parties.

“To the best of our knowledge, there were so many things on the agenda beyond producing a single presidential candidate. One of the lead conveners said it is also about exploring areas of cooperation among the political parties,” Abdullahi said.

“If it will lead to a situation where we have a single presidential candidate, it will be fine. But that is not the main objective of the conversation,” he added.

Despite the explanation, sources said the ADC and NDC were participating in the G100 process partly to avoid being blamed if the opposition ultimately fails to unite before the election.

“In any case, the two key parties, the NDC and the ADC, are just patching up with the opposition alliance, despite the realities in their camps,” one source said.

The source added that the ADC believes it has a route to victory against Tinubu even without the wider opposition alliance, while the NDC is also projecting confidence in its own electoral prospects.

“None of the parties want to carry the blame or stand accused of being responsible for the failure of the G100 agenda,” the source said.

The ruling APC has meanwhile dismissed the possibility of the opposition successfully producing a single candidate, arguing that the parties had already gone through their respective processes and produced candidates.

APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, described the opposition’s attempt to reach a consensus at this stage as unrealistic.

“They cannot get a single candidate. Their case is like a maize inside a bottle that hens cannot eat. That is the analogy,” Basiru said.

He argued that the opposition parties had failed to unite when they had the opportunity to do so before their primaries.

“In the build-up to the primaries, they could not come together. They went their separate ways. They are not driven by the love for Nigeria, but by a selfish agenda. They are dishonest,” he said.

Basiru also maintained that the emergence of candidates across the different political platforms had made the idea of a single candidature difficult to achieve.

“The truth is that candidates have emerged on the platforms of all political parties. It is laughable for anybody to now say he or she wants to have a single candidature. It is like closing the stable when the horse has already escaped,” he said.

He added, “Because they are motivated by their individual inordinate ambition and not the interest of the Nigerian people, they cannot come to any understanding and unanimity as to anybody stepping down for themselves.”

APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, also questioned the seriousness of the coalition effort, pointing to the absence of the major presidential contenders from the Abuja meeting.

“The absence of the principal actors at the gathering was enough to show that their move hit the rock before the journey even began,” Morka said.

He further warned that the opposition could suffer another major defeat at the 2027 election.

“They will be roundly rejected at the polls again. The defeat they suffered in 2023 was child’s play compared to what Nigerians will do to them in 2027,” he said.