….’Coalition leaders negotiating to set aside personal ambitions’
…Zoning not on table yet
By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja
Ahead of the 2027 general election, the recently formed broad-based coalition of opposition leaders says it is on the verge of reaching a final consensus on its structure and modus operandi. Its main hurdle has been finding an alternative political party.
The coalition noted that while some individuals are raising the issue of zoning, the matter has not been formally discussed at its meetings.
It added that at this stage of negotiations, the main focus is around getting leaders to agree to work together, noting that “there is strong recognition that prospective members should set aside personal ambitions to contest the 2027 elections”.
The coalition made this known in a statement issued Monday in Abuja and signed by Salihu Moh. Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Last Thursday, some opposition leaders had a news conference in Abuja and 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 the 2027 general election was going on.
According to Lukman, this has generated wide interest and national debates with varied interpretations.
He said in order to set the records straight, it was important to state that negotiations are ongoing and nothing has been finalised.
“Once concluded, formal announcements will be made with all the details regarding the 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 and mapping out issues for agreements among members of the coalition.
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 crisis 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.
The coalition described the situation as quite unfortunate, coming during the tenure of a party that was envisioned to be progressive.
It said it was even more troubling when it is during the tenure of a leader – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu – who has unarguably been in the vanguard of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
“The way the Nigerian democratic space is rapidly shrunken can only be imagined under a military government. The determination and resilience of Nigerians is being called into question under the current APC government led by President Tinubu.
“The leaders of the coalition are committed to providing the needed leadership to rescue Nigerian democracy. We must appeal to all patriotic Nigerians to recognise the urgency of the situation facing the country. We don’t have the luxury of waiting until we get to 2027 only to discover that Nigerians have been smouldered into a legal knockout. Related to this is also the worrisome reality whereby the rule of law is being tested in ways that are threatening to the democratic development of the country.
“All patriotic Nigerians must appeal to members of the judicial arm of government to come to the rescue of Nigerian democracy by demonstrating that indeed they are independent and to that extent uphold the sanctity of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended.
“We are confident that Nigerian democracy can be rescued. Rescuing Nigerian democracy is fundamentally about producing a political party that can guarantee and facilitate competitive political contests in the country. We recognise and respect all the interests, criticisms and reservations expressed by Nigerians, including those expressed by political leaders who in every respect are potential members of the coalition.
“Our strong appeal to all political leaders and Nigerians generally is that we must not allow personal interests to undermine our capacity to contribute to Nigeria’s democratic development,” said Lukman.
He said, Difficult as the situation would appear, the negotiation about the political party that will be the platform for the 2027 electoral contest is about to be concluded.
“All the attempts to push Nigeria into a one-party state will be defeated. Once the negotiation about the political party is concluded, Nigerians will be formally informed of all the details, and mobilisation towards 2027 will commence.
“Other secondary negotiations will also commence. Details of the procedure and processes of candidates’ selection will be similarly negotiated publicly through activities and meetings of organs of the party. Members of the party will be actively involved. All these critical issues will not be matters left to public speculation or reduced to manipulative antics of political leaders.
“Rescuing Nigerian democracy is beyond simplistic debates of fielding candidates and the associated debates of the quality and where they come from. Everything must be done to produce elected leaders at all levels who will be accountable and, in every respect, democratic in their dealings with Nigerians.
“Everything must be done to close this chapter of democratic national frustrations, which only produces emperors. This is the goal of the coalition, for which we appeal for the support of all patriotic Nigerians. We don’t envisage it will be an easy task, but we are determined to succeed,” the coalition added.
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