However, Sunday Punch gathered that although the Atiku and Obi camps support greater collaboration among opposition forces, neither side is currently prepared to withdraw its presidential ambition for a consensus arrangement.
Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, told Sunday Punch on Saturday that the former vice-president was no longer interested in prolonged discussions about bringing opposition politicians together for a summit.
According to him, Atiku had already presented his policy proposals to Nigerians and would allow the electorate to decide who should lead the country in 2027.
Shaibu said, “We have moved beyond this conversation. Atiku has brought to the table the policy alternatives, including what he would do with petroleum subsidy if elected. His policies are about the people, and they are not hidden. Come January 2027, Nigerians will make their choice. This is where we are today.”
He urged voters to compare the programmes of the various presidential contenders before deciding.
Shaibu further argued that Atiku remained the opposition politician with the experience and preparedness required to take over the leadership of the country.
Obi’s Camp Speaks On Single Opposition Candidate
Obi’s camp has also maintained that the former Anambra governor has the political credentials and nationwide support needed to mount a serious challenge against Tinubu.
Obi contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party (LP) before moving to the NDC as opposition parties began exploring ways of working together ahead of 2027.
Although the NDC welcomed the G-100’s efforts to foster cooperation, its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said the party did not subscribe to the idea that all opposition parties must adopt one presidential candidate before they could defeat the APC.
Director cited the 2015 election, when the APC defeated then-President Goodluck Jonathan, as evidence that an incumbent could be defeated in a multi-party system without every opposition party collapsing into one platform.
He said, “Under a multi-party democracy, it is possible for one of the parties to defeat a sitting president. It happened in 2015, and it was only fragments of the All Progressive Grand Alliance and the Peoples Democratic Party that teamed up to form an alliance with the All Progressives Congress, and they were able to defeat President Goodluck Jonathan.”
He added that the NDC would not approach the 2027 contest from the assumption that opposition parties must all merge before they could defeat the APC.
Director stated, “So, the NDC is not going into the 2027 election with that self-defeatist approach that the opposition cannot defeat the APC unless all the parties come together.”
Despite rejecting the argument that a single candidate was the only route to victory, the NDC spokesman disclosed that the party already had a preferred candidate if opposition parties eventually agreed to a consensus presidential ticket.
Director said the party believed Obi was the strongest option to lead such an arrangement.
He further stated, “We have made the point clear that we should choose the best candidate in the opposition and we in the NDC believe that Peter Obi is the best if he is allowed to lead the coalition. This is our position.”
The G-100, convened by former Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has argued that opposition parties stand a better chance of defeating the APC if they avoid dividing their supporters among several presidential candidates.
