Opposition leaders associated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and other political platforms have made significant progress towards producing a consensus presidential candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election, the G100 Coalition has said.
Adding a fillip to the arrangement, the presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Peter Agada, said he is waiting for a call from NDC’s Peter Obi and ADC’s Atiku Abubakar, stressing his willingness to work with either or both opposition figures, provided they align with his plans for Nigeria.
The coalition, yesterday in Abuja, expressed optimism as it inaugurated the legal and media committees to provide a framework for negotiations among the parties and their leading presidential hopefuls, including Atiku, Obi, PRP’s Donald Duke and SDP’s Adewale Adebayo.
Chairman of the G100 Coalition, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, who chaired the session, claimed that discussions involving party leaders and presidential candidates had advanced, expressing confidence that outstanding issues could be resolved before the presidential election billed for January 16, 2027.
“Our ambition is to present a candidate that can defeat APC and form the next government, and we’re making very good progress,” he said.
The meeting was attended by chairmen and representatives of the ADC, NDC, PRP, SDP, Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Gombe said the inauguration of the committees marked a deliberate move to translate the coalition’s political intentions into a structured process capable of sustaining negotiations and addressing potential obstacles to an agreement.
“Today, we take a deliberate step from intention to structure. The work of this coalition will be judged not only by the strength of our convictions, but by the discipline, precision and unity with which we carry it out,” he said.
The legal committee, comprising national legal advisers of participating parties and other senior legal representatives, as agreed, is expected to examine the legal and constitutional implications of the proposed alliance.
Its responsibilities include reviewing outstanding legal challenges confronting the parties, examining the actions of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in relation to relevant Supreme Court judgments, and advising the coalition on lawful options available to it.
The committee will also review working-group documents and negotiated agreements, identify potential legal risks, recommend safeguards and establish dispute-resolution mechanisms before any coalition agreement is adopted.
Gombe warned members against overlooking legal issues that could jeopardise the negotiations.
“We cannot afford surprises. A single overlooked clause can undo months of honest negotiation,” he said, urging members to demonstrate thoroughness, candour and independent judgment.
The media and publicity committee, comprising national publicity secretaries and spokespersons of participating parties’ presidential campaign councils, is expected to coordinate joint messaging, media engagements and public announcements.
AGADA, while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show yesterday, said he was targeting between two million and 10 million votes.
“We are looking at between two and 10 million Nigerians. We are still working. I said two million because that’s where we are right now and increasing pretty fast,” he said.
The YPP candidate said he had spent the 60 days since his emergence, building support through groundwork, presentations and consultations.
Agada, who said he was formerly associated with the Obidient Movement, claimed that “over 40 per cent of Obidients that did not move away are with me, and many other parties.”
He added that his political project was focused on building a coalition of Nigerians beyond party affiliations.
“It is not about parties. It is not about which party you belong to,” he said.
Speaking about a possible alliance with Obi and Atiku, the YPP standard bearer said he was open to working with them if they shared his vision for the country.