Ahead of the 2027 general election, the new broad-based coalition of opposition leaders say they are on the verge of reaching a final consensus on its structure and modus operandi, noting that its main hurdle had been finding an alternative political party.
The coalition noted that while the issue of zoning is being raised by some individuals, the matter had not been formally discussed at its meetings.
It added that at this stage of negotiations, the main focus was around getting leaders to agree to work together, as “there is strong recognition that prospective members should set aside personal ambitions to contest the 2027 elections.”
The coalition disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja and signed by Salihu Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Last Thursday, some opposition leaders had at a news conference in Abuja, opposed the presidential declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
They also said the group would work as a coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Those in the forefront of the coalition are former vice president and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; former Anambra State Governor and 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party LP, Mr Peter Obi, former Governor of Kaduna state, Malam Nasir el-Rufai and Tinubu’s estranged ally and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Babachir Lawal.
They are joined in the coalition by some aggrieved elements of the APC including a former Governor of Nasarawa State and former National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; former Rivers state Governor and ex-Transport minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and; former Ekiti state Governor and ex-Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi.
Lukman noted that while responding to a question during the press conference, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had confirmed that the formation of a coalition ahead of 2027 general election was going on.
According to Lukman, this has generated wide interests and national debates with varied interpretations.
He said in order to set the records straight, it was important to state that negotiations were ongoing, adding that nothing had been finalized.
“Once concluded, formal announcements will be made with all the details regarding composition of membership, programme of action towards 2027, framework for contesting the 2027 elections, etc,” he stated.
According to him, consultations are in advanced stages, basically reaching out to prospective members of the coalition, mapping out issues for agreements among members.
He said: “At this stage of negotiations, the main focus is around getting leaders to agree to work together and substantially there is strong recognition that prospective members should set aside personal ambitions to contest the 2027 elections.
“The second issue being negotiated is the political party that will be the platform for the 2027 electoral contest. These two issues are carefully being negotiated. While acknowledging that with respect to the requirement for members to set aside personal ambitions, there are strong interests being expressed around issues of zoning by individual leaders, these issues are yet to be formally discussed at any consultation meeting.
“The speculation, therefore, by some media analysts about disagreements stalemating the coalition negotiation is not true. The consensus among leaders is that the final decision about processes of candidates’ selection can only be handled and determined when there is agreement regarding the political party on whose platform the coalition will field candidates.
“The question of negotiating the political party is the most difficult challenge. This is an area that many members of the coalitions have been engaging in different ways for more than a year now. Perhaps, it is important to highlight that there are many groups, including some members of the coalition, who have filed applications to register political parties.
“For reasons best known to INEC, these applications are being frustrated. The only conclusion that can be reached in the circumstance is that INEC has decided that it will not register new parties.
“To make matters worse, many of the existing registered parties who did not meet the electoral threshold of winning any seat in the last general elections face the threat of deregistration. Given this unpleasant reality, members of the coalition opened negotiations with some of the existing parties that have met the electoral threshold.
‘’Interestingly, somehow, some of the prospective parties being negotiated are being remotely pushed into crises mode in the same way PDP, Labour Party and NNPP have been entangled with existential problems. It is almost a clear case of destroying the legal basis for any party to qualify to field candidates for 2027 other than the ruling APC,” he added.
Allegation’s untrue – INEC
However, INEC yesterday disclaimed the allegations, saying associations which meet the requirements for registration as political parties would be duly registered.
Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the commission had had to even notify political associations when they file incomplete documents for registration as parties.
Reacting to the allegation, Oyekanmi said: “It is not true, the commission will not frustrate any association seeking registration as a political party. We operate a transparent process. There are conditions to be fulfilled and there is an application procedure to be followed, as contained in the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties (2022).
“There are documents to be submitted and verified, and there are different stages of an application. An applicant needs to be in compliance with all the requirements and must also submit genuine documents.
“If there are issues during the application process, the commission will immediately inform the applicant to rectify such areas.’’
