Why We’re Working To Unite Peter Obi, Atiku— Ex-APC Chieftain

A former vice-chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North-West, Salihu Lukman, has disclosed that efforts are underway to unite major opposition figures, including the presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) counterpart, Peter Obi, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Lukman said the initiative was aimed at creating a broad opposition structure capable of presenting a single presidential candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the APC.

Speaking in an interview with Arise News, Lukman, who is involved in the opposition coalition movement, said the proposed framework would enable opposition parties and political actors to work together and present a united front to Nigerians.

According to him, the choice of a presidential candidate must not be imposed on the various political actors but should emerge from an agreed process and clearly defined criteria.

“The ultimate objective is that we want to have one candidate, but it cannot be by declaration. They have to sit down and agree on the criteria they are going to apply in determining that candidate,” he said.

Lukman argued that the central question opposition leaders must answer is whether they merely want to contest the 2027 election or genuinely intend to win it and form the next government.

He maintained that achieving victory would require the different opposition camps to put aside their individual ambitions and establish a workable political arrangement.

“They have to work together, and the primary opponent is the APC and President Bola Tinubu. So, when you now begin to pose the question as if the primary opponent is either former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or former Governor Peter Obi, you get it wrong,” Lukman said.

He explained that the group was not seeking to dictate the outcome to Atiku, Obi or other opposition leaders, but was proposing a structure through which they could collectively determine the best candidate to fly their common political flag.

“As far as we are concerned, we are putting forward a structure, and we are putting a proposal to them to consider, which will lead to the formation of that structure that will enable them to work as a united body,” he added.

Lukman said the ultimate objective was to give Nigerians a credible alternative in 2027, arguing that the electorate deserved an option capable of defeating the ruling party.

“We believe Nigerians deserve better. We believe that the 2027 election should present a credible option for Nigeria in such a way that Nigerians can have confidence to queue behind that candidate, vote for that candidate, and vote out the APC and President Bola Tinubu,” he said.

However, efforts to forge a single opposition presidential candidacy have faced resistance from the camps of Atiku and Obi as both insisted on being on the 2027 ballot.

Although both camps expressed support for broader cooperation among opposition parties, they have not indicated readiness to abandon their respective presidential ambitions in favour of a consensus candidate.

This development comes as political parties kicked off campaign ahead of the elections.