Consensus Candidate: Atiku, Obi, Makinde unwilling to sacrifice ambitions, says G-100

A broad-based opposition coalition against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election may have collapsed, following the failure of major political actors to agree on a consensus candidate, a chieftain of the G-100 political pressure group, Umanu Elijah, has said.

Elijah said opposition leaders were unwilling to make the necessary concessions to present a single presidential candidate capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress.

According toThe PUNCH on Sunday, Elijah declared that the consensus arrangement championed by the group had failed.

“The sole candidacy thing is dead and buried. The candidates are not ready to make concessions. You can see what the Allied Peoples Movement is doing. They are going about their campaigns, and none of these candidates is talking about single candidacy,” Elijah said.

The G-100, a political pressure group convened by former Director-General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman, was established to facilitate a broad-based opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.

The group has argued that opposition parties contesting independently would struggle to defeat the APC, particularly given the ruling party’s political structures and electoral advantages.

As part of its coalition-building efforts, G-100 has held consultations with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and other influential political figures.

The initiative sought to unite opposition parties and political actors across party lines, with the expectation that a common platform and a single presidential candidate would improve their chances against Tinubu.

However, the continued campaign activities of opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress and the APM, have raised doubts about the feasibility of the proposed coalition.

Elijah cited the ongoing campaigns by opposition parties as evidence that the consensus arrangement had lost momentum.

The opposition coalition initiative had been driven by concerns that a divided opposition would split votes and weaken the challenge to the APC in the next general election.

The development comes as political actors intensify consultations and mobilisation ahead of the 2027 election, with little indication that the major opposition figures are prepared to abandon their presidential ambitions.

Atiku, Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Makinde and Adewale Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party have not indicated willingness to withdraw their ambitions in support of a consensus candidate.

The failure to secure concessions from the political gladiators could leave opposition parties contesting separately rather than operating as a united coalition driven by a common purpose and interest.