Seven weeks after opposition leaders met to plot a united front against President Bola Tinubu, the G100 coalition has yet to produce the single candidate many of its backers hoped for.
What was agreed in August
At a summit on 31 August 2026, six parties, the ADC, NDC, APM, SDP, PRP and PDP, agreed to set up five working groups to draft five documents:
- A National Covenant for Democratic Renewal, setting out the principles of the alliance.
- A Single-Term Transition Charter, on the terms of a possible one-term transitional government.
- A National Reform Programme of shared policy priorities.
- A Framework for Opposition Unity, on how the parties would cooperate.
- A Roadmap to a Common Presidential Candidate.
Where things stand
The coordinator, Salihu Lukman, said on 14 October that party chairpersons and secretaries had spent about two weeks consulting Atiku Abubakar (ADC), Peter Obi (NDC), Seyi Makinde (APM), Adewole Adebayo and Donald Duke. He said the parties had agreed basic terms for a working group on choosing a common candidate. “We have succeeded beyond some of our expectations,” he said, while warning that distrust between parties and candidates meant “we may not be able to achieve it.”
Premium Times could not confirm whether the five documents had been completed or adopted, or whether the September timetable had been met. No binding agreement on a joint ticket has been announced.
The ADC–NDC split
The main obstacle is public. Rabiu Kwankwaso, the NDC’s vice-presidential candidate, has urged Atiku to step aside for Obi. Atiku has refused, and the ADC campaign accused Kwankwaso of undermining opposition unity. “We will not withdraw our candidature for ADC or any other party,” Kwankwaso has said.
With INEC’s candidate lists already published and the election on 16 January 2027, time for a merger of tickets is short.
