Professor Pat Utomi has commenced consultations with opposition presidential candidates and leaders of their political parties as part of efforts to produce a single candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The talks are being coordinated through the Movement for Credible Elections, MCE, which is seeking to bring different opposition forces together ahead of the poll.
Utomi, who chairs the MCE Political Commission, is expected to lead a series of closed-door meetings with some of the major opposition figures seeking the presidency in 2027.
The meetings are expected to be completed before the commission’s tactical session scheduled to hold in Ibadan in a fortnight.
Among those listed for engagement are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party, Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement, Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party, Sandy Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Agada of the Young Progressive Party and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress.
The development was disclosed by the MCE Media Coordinator, James Ezema.
The organisation said the discussions would be held privately because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations and the need to allow the parties and candidates to discuss difficult political issues without external pressure.
The MCE said the arrangement was also intended to protect the process from interference by individuals opposed to the proposed opposition alliance.
According to the statement, the Utomi-led commission would engage the shortlisted candidates and their party leaders before the planned tactical session.
The statement read, “The Prof Pat Utomi-led Political Commission initiated by Movement for Credible Elections, MCE, to actualise Opposition Coalition for a Single Presidential Candidate in the 2027 Elections has decided to meet shortlisted opposition presidential candidates and their party leaders behind closed doors ahead of its tactical session scheduled to hold in Ibadan in a fortnight.
“The rationale for the closed-door engagements, the commission said, is to prevent sabotage from political mercenaries and jobbers opposed to the initiative and determined to frustrate the negotiations and horse-trading amongst the shortlisted presidential candidates.
“Nigeria cannot afford another opposition arrangement in which political actors agree on the need for a united front but disagree when it becomes necessary to determine the arrowhead and rallying point of that electoral alliance.”
The proposed process is expected to go beyond simply asking opposition politicians to withdraw from the presidential race.
MCE said the eventual candidate would have to emerge through agreed rules that are acceptable to the participating parties and aspirants.
The organisation listed credibility, transparency, fairness, due process and a level playing field among the principles that would guide the exercise.
It also said the participating candidates and parties would be involved in determining the modalities for the selection and endorsement of the eventual candidate.
MCE said the commission would consider several factors in assessing the presidential hopefuls.
They include “national acceptability, competence, integrity, leadership profile, political electability, policy orientation, commitment to democratic institutions, capacity to unite the country and ability to work with diverse social interests.”
The commission said it would also examine the candidates’ knowledge of Nigeria’s political and democratic challenges.
The process would include consideration of issues surrounding the country’s constitutional structure and what the group referred to as the national constitutional question.
MCE said the proposed coalition should also be built around a clear programme that Nigerians would be able to examine before deciding whether to support it.
It rejected the idea of an arrangement that would simply bring several politicians together without a common policy direction.
“The Nigerian people deserve more than a coalition of political personalities. They deserve a coalition of ideas, competence, values and a coherent ideological programme for national salvation,” it stated.
According to the movement, the eventual coalition would be expected to develop a common democratic and governance agenda.
The issues identified include insecurity, unemployment, poverty, economic hardship, institutional decay, electoral reforms, constitutional reform, education, healthcare, energy and the cost of governance.
The MCE said it was not attempting to impose any candidate on the parties.
Rather, it described its role as facilitating negotiations that could enable the opposition to reach an agreement on a candidate and a common programme.
“The ultimate objective would be to offer Nigerians a credible people-oriented governance of the Nigerian opposition and not merely another side of the same coin, and that political negotiation is inevitable in a democratic coalition as those who genuinely seek to present a democratic alternative to Nigerians must be prepared to make personal sacrifices, accommodate others and recognise that no single individual or political party can on their own compete formidably against the party in power.”
The question of whether opposition parties should contest the election separately or unite behind one presidential candidate has become a major issue in preparations for the poll.
The MCE has been involved in discussions on the 2027 political process for several months.
In March, the group raised concerns about the state of Nigeria’s democracy and preparations for the 2027 elections.
Utomi and the organisation have also been involved in calls for greater electoral credibility and stronger democratic institutions.
In August, another initiative known as G100 began consultations with opposition parties and political leaders.
The group released what it called the “Doctrine of a Necessary Democratic Opposition” and urged opposition politicians to consider a common political arrangement ahead of 2027.
The initiative called for opposition cooperation around a single presidential candidate, a common programme and a coordinated strategy.
G100 subsequently engaged several opposition parties, including the ADC, APM, NDC, PDP, PRP and SDP.
The consultations were aimed at finding areas of agreement among the parties while allowing them to retain their separate identities.
MCE said the objective was to create a political platform capable of presenting a coordinated alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 presidential election.
The commission is expected to work with a team that includes Maryam Ciroma, Modupe Adelaja, former Minister of Youth and Sports Development Solomon Dalung, Uche Onyeagocha, Olusegun Mayegun, Sam Amadi, Mike Iginni, Obongawan Barbara Etim James, Olawale Okunniyi and Dr Adum Ter Alex, among others.