2027: Atiku open to opposition cooperation, campaign says amid G100 run-off report

The campaign of African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar says the former vice-president remains open to discussions to strengthen cooperation among opposition parties ahead of the 2027 election.

Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Council, told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that the campaign had not confirmed reports that Mr Abubakar rejected a proposal for opposition parties to rally behind a single presidential candidate.

He also said no agreement on a single candidate or cooperation in the event of a presidential run-off had been confirmed.

“I cannot confirm at this stage that His Excellency has rejected the proposal or that any agreement on a single candidate or run-off cooperation has been reached,” Mr Shaibu said.

He added that Mr Abubakar “remains open to discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation among opposition forces.”

Mr Shaibu said he was checking the details of the G100 proposal and Atiku’s response, including whether the group presented polling or electoral modelling to support its strategy.

“I also do not want to speculate about conditional endorsements or reciprocal commitments,” he said.

G100 considers run-off option

His comments followed a report by Saturday PUNCH that the G100 opposition initiative was considering cooperation among opposition parties if the 2027 presidential election proceeds to a second round.

The PUNCH report, citing unnamed G100 sources, said consultations with Mr Abubakar and Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi were continuing but that neither candidate had shown an inclination to accept a single-candidate

One unnamed source said a possible run-off was among the scenarios being considered if efforts to produce a common opposition candidate before the election failed.

Another source referred to unspecified “statistics” and “research” which, according to the report, suggested that no candidate might secure victory in the first round.

PREMIUM TIMES has not independently obtained the research referred to in the report.

Mr Shaibu said the Atiku campaign was checking whether any such polling or electoral modelling had been presented during the consultations.

Push for common opposition candidate

G100 has been canvassing cooperation among opposition parties ahead of the presidential election.

In August, PREMIUM TIMES reported that G100 and the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives were pushing opposition parties towards a common presidential candidate.

The group subsequently convened an opposition summit in Abuja on 31 August, attended by representatives of the ADC, Allied Peoples Movement, NDC, a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party and Social Democratic Party.

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Atiku and Mr Obi did not attend the summit.

The participating groups agreed to establish committees and working groups to develop proposals on opposition unity, a national reform programme and a possible common presidential candidate. PREMIUM TIMES reported the outcome of the talks.

More recently, Kenneth Okonkwo, a spokesperson for the Atiku campaign, argued that opposition parties would need to pool their political structures and votes if they hoped to mount a stronger challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress. PREMIUM TIMES reported his comments on 28 September.