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G100 unveils a framework for opposition cooperation ahead of 2027, proposing a four-year Government of National Competence anchored on a single transition term and a comprehensive national reset programme.
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The proposed government would be built around competence, integrity, inclusion and equitable representation, with participating parties required to commit to an enforceable Transition Charter rather than rely on political promises.
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Five working groups are to develop key documents within four weeks, including a National Reform Programme, Single-Term Transition Charter and roadmap towards a common presidential candidate.
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G100 says the summit is not seeking immediate party mergers or withdrawal of candidates, but aims to establish the framework for opposition cooperation before contentious issues such as leadership and candidate selection are negotiated.
August 31, (THEWILL) — The G100, a coalition of concerned Nigerians advocating stronger democratic opposition, has unveiled a framework for greater cooperation among Nigeria’s opposition political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, proposing the establishment of a four-year Government of National Competence to undertake a comprehensive national reset.
The proposal was contained in opening remarks delivered on behalf of the G100 by Mallam Salihu Moh. Lukman at the Summit of Nigeria’s Opposition Political Parties held on Monday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
The summit was attended by representatives of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP), alongside some presidential and vice-presidential candidates and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
Lukman said the framework developed by the G100 was designed to move opposition cooperation beyond electoral calculations and establish a structured political arrangement capable of producing a credible alternative government.
Central to the proposal is the establishment of what the G100 described as a Government of National Competence, anchored on competence, integrity, national inclusion and fair representation for every political party that participates in the process.
The proposed administration, he said, would be bound by a disciplined and time-limited Four-Year National Reset Programme, with participating political parties committing themselves to a single four-year term through an enforceable Transition Charter.
“The Framework before you proposes something more demanding than a merger of ambitions: a Government of National Competence, built on competence, integrity, national inclusion, and fair representation of every party that contributes to the effort,” Lukman said.
He added that the proposed government must be secured by a political commitment to a single four-year term, which would be formally documented.
“Secured by a political commitment to a single four-year term, written into an enforceable Transition Charter.”
G100 Demands Enforceable Commitment
Lukman stressed that the proposed arrangement must not be built on verbal assurances, noting that Nigerian politics had witnessed numerous agreements that were abandoned when political interests changed.
“We want to underline the word ‘enforceable.’ This gathering does not need more sincerity. Nigerian politics has never suffered from a shortage of sincere promises. What it has suffered from is promises that nobody could enforce when the person who made them changed his/her mind,” he said.
Lukman insisted that any agreement eventually reached by the parties must be formally documented, witnessed and backed by consequences for breaches.
“Any agreement reached must be written, it must be witnessed, and it must have consequences,” he said.
Lukman traced the initiative to the history of opposition politics in Nigeria since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
He recalled that opposition parties contested the presidency separately in 2003, 2007 and 2011, but succeeded in dislodging the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party in 2015 after agreeing on rules of engagement and working towards a common objective.
According to him, the discipline that facilitated the 2015 victory was lost in 2023 when opposition votes were divided among multiple presidential candidates.
He said the three leading opposition candidates collectively secured significantly more votes than the eventual winner, but the absence of a united opposition enabled the candidate with fewer votes to form the government.
“The winner took just under nine million votes. One opposition candidate took close to seven million. Another took just over six million.
“Thirteen million votes on one side of the argument, under nine million on the other. And the side with fewer votes formed the government, lawfully, constitutionally, and entirely predictably,” he said.
Lukman described the outcome as self-inflicted, rather than the result of any conspiracy, arguing that the opposition’s failure to coordinate its votes contributed significantly to the result.
Three Coalition Bodies Proposed
As part of the framework, the G100 proposed the creation of three standing bodies to coordinate the activities of participating parties. The first is a Central Leadership Committee, comprising national chairmen, national secretaries, presidential candidates and vice-presidential candidates of the participating parties.
The committee would provide political direction and oversee the broader cooperation among the parties.
A Publicity and Communication Committee is also proposed to coordinate joint messaging and public communication, while a Legal Committee would handle legal strategy and provide legal advice on matters arising from the coalition arrangement.
Lukman said the G100 would participate in the proposed structures only as facilitators and observers, subject to the approval of the participating political parties.
The G100 also proposed five working groups, with each comprising one representative from every participating political party.
The groups are expected to produce working papers within four weeks on five major areas: a National Covenant for Democratic Renewal; a Single-Term Transition Charter; a National Reform Programme; a Framework for Opposition Unity; and a Roadmap to a Common Presidential Candidate.
The documents will subsequently be presented to a Second Summit for consideration and possible adoption by the participating parties.
The roadmap towards a common presidential candidate is expected to be one of the most contentious aspects of the process, given the ambitions and political interests of several opposition figures.
However, Lukman made it clear that the Monday summit was not intended to resolve the presidential ticket question.
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Speaking on Monday, Lukman emphasised that the G100’s proposal does not require any participating party to dissolve, merge with another party, or abandon its presidential candidate at this stage.
“It is not asking any party to dissolve. It is not asking any party to disappear into another party. It is not asking any candidate to stand down this morning.
“ That question is not on the agenda of this Summit, and any report that says otherwise will be wrong,” he clarified, adding that the immediate objective was to establish the framework for cooperation before negotiating the more difficult questions of leadership, candidates and power-sharing.
Lukman also stressed that the G100 was not backing any particular presidential aspirant or political party.
He said the summit was convened by the G100 in collaboration with the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives without preference for any of the participating parties.
“We are not promoting any candidate, no preference among the six parties in this hall, and nothing to gain from one of you rather than another,” he said, adding that the G100’s intervention was guided by the principle contained in its Doctrine published on August 2, which states that democracy is sustained not only by elections but also by the existence of a credible possibility of an alternative government.
“Our only interest is the one stated in the Doctrine we published on August 2: that a democracy is sustained not merely by holding elections, but by the credible possibility of an alternative government,” he said.
Lukman said the urgency of building a credible opposition alliance was underscored by the hardships confronting Nigerians.
He cited the case of a woman in Kaduna who had withdrawn her child from school because of rising fees, a farmer in Benue who had been displaced from his land and a graduate in Aba who had stopped searching for employment.
“They are entitled to something, and it is this: a real choice, presented by serious people, capable of governing. That is all a democratic opposition owes its country, and it is not a small debt,” he said.
At the commencement of the summit, the presidential candidates of the SDP, Prince Adebayo Adewole, and PRP, Donald Duke, as well as the APM vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, were present.
However, the presidential candidates of the ADC, Atiku Abubakar, and the NDC, Peter Obi, were still expected as proceedings got underway.
The summit comes amid intensified political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with opposition parties and political figures exploring possible alliances to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
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