A coalition of 100 prominent Nigerians under the G-100 has urged opposition leaders, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, to unite behind a single presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 election, warning that a divided opposition cannot unseat President Bola Tinubu.
By Jane Okafor, Abuja
An anti-President Bola Tinubu coalition operating under the banner of G-100 has called on Nigeria’s opposition leaders to unite behind a single presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general election, warning that internal divisions could hand victory to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The appeal was contained in an open letter titled “The Doctrine of a Necessary Democratic Opposition,” in which the coalition announced plans to convene a National Council of Opposition Leaders within the next two weeks.
According to the group, the meeting will challenge all presidential hopefuls to place Nigeria’s interest above personal ambition.
“Within the next two weeks, we shall convene a National Council of Opposition Leaders, where every candidate’s ambition shall be summoned before the bar of patriotism and every man or woman shall be asked a single question: whether he or she seeks to contest the 2027 elections for himself or herself, or the salvation of Nigeria,” the letter stated.
The document was signed by 100 prominent Nigerians, including former APC National Vice Chairman (North-West) and founding member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Salihu Mohammed Lukman; former House of Representatives member Hon. Nnenna Ukeje; former Kogi State Deputy Governor, Elder Simon Achuba; and Dr. Akilu Indabawa.
The letter was addressed to leading opposition figures expected to shape the 2027 presidential race, including former Senate President David Mark, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, former Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Donald Duke, Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe and Prince Adewole Adebayo.
The coalition argued that Nigeria’s challenges are rooted in structural flaws rather than purely economic or political factors, accusing the country’s political system of rewarding loyalty over competence.
“We have fashioned a political order that too often rewards loyalty over merit, patronage over service, and power over accountability,” the group said, adding that “no people have ever repaired their economy while neglecting the condition of their politics.”
G-100 cited historical interventions such as the G34 movement’s resistance to military self-succession and the Doctrine of Necessity invoked during the prolonged absence of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as examples of moments when national interest prevailed over partisan considerations.
The coalition warned that democratic institutions often decline gradually rather than collapsing overnight.
“Democracies rarely perish in a single day. They decay when opposition becomes disorganised, when citizens become indifferent, and when ambition triumphs over principle,” the letter added.
It also disclosed that the proposed National Council would build on the Ibadan Declaration reached by opposition stakeholders in April 2026, with the aim of agreeing on a single presidential standard-bearer for the democratic opposition ahead of the 2027 polls.
“We shall reaffirm the spirit and purpose of the Ibadan Declaration of April 2026, and from that common foundation establish a new and honourable course towards the adoption of a single presidential standard-bearer for the democratic opposition,” the group stated.
Beyond political actors, the coalition urged civil society organisations, labour unions, professional bodies and religious leaders to actively defend Nigeria’s democracy, insisting that leadership should always be earned through the will of the people rather than assumed as an entitlement.
Declaring that the stakes extend beyond the outcome of a single election, the G-100 appealed to opposition leaders to put national interest ahead of individual ambitions.
“For God and Country,” the coalition declared, warning that “no people can hope to defeat a united failure with a divided alternative.”
Among the other signatories to the letter were Prof. Anthony Kila, Dr. Awalu Anwar, Dr. Emeka Ejikonye, Dr. Ibrahim Moddibo, Dr. Ladan Salihu, Dr. Ayokunle Fagbemi, Amb. RBW Onemola, Ose Anenih, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, Zainab Buba Galadima, Aliyu Audu, Helen Niyet Yashin, Aminu Datti Ahmed, Amb. Serah Ibrahim and several other political stakeholders, professionals and civil society advocates across Nigeria.
