Salihu Lukman, a former Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum, says a framework is being developed to help Nigeria’s opposition parties agree on a single candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections. He argues that the opposition’s primary contest is with the ruling party and Tinubu, rather than rivalries among opposition figures.
Lukman says the process should not be based on a declaration, but on opposition leaders sitting together and agreeing on criteria to determine the candidate. He also says a proposal has been presented to opposition leaders to create a structure that allows them to operate cohesively and present a united front to voters. Across the reports, Lukman frames the goal as giving Nigerians a credible alternative they can support, with the aim of defeating the APC.
The outlets differ mainly in emphasis: one report highlights efforts “to unite” Peter Obi, Atiku and others under such a framework, while another focuses more directly on Lukman’s argument that posing the contest as primarily between opposition leaders misunderstands the stakes of 2027.
