• Obasanjo-Atiku feud political, not personal, say Olarewaju, Ologun
• Wike denies seeking APC presidential campaign council DG’s job

Presidential candidates and opposition leaders, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Seyi Makinde, Donald Duke, Adebayo Adewole Ebenezer and Sandy Onor, have commenced fresh consultations aimed at forging a common political front to challenge the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu- led All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.

The consultations, facilitated by the G100, followed its August 2, 2026 open letter to opposition leaders, leaders of thought, civil society organisations and Nigerians of good conscience, in which it unveiled what it called the “Doctrine of Necessary Democratic Opposition.”

The doctrine advocates a credible and competitive opposition capable of providing Nigerians with a viable alternative to the ruling party.

The G100, led by SalihuLukmam, disclosed in a statement yesterday that it had since engaged the leadership of six opposition parties, including presidential candidates, running mates and national chairmen, as part of efforts to build consensus ahead of the elections.

The parties are 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).

The initiative is coming amid concerns that multiple opposition candidates could split votes and inadvertently strengthen the APC’s chances in 2027.

The G100 said its consultations had revealed a growing recognition among opposition leaders that greater cooperation would be necessary, although no agreement has been reached on a common candidate or the structure of a possible alliance.

The group said the discussions had been deliberately kept away from the media to allow political leaders to speak openly and negotiate without the pressure associated with premature publicity.

It maintained that the process requires trust, compromise and willingness by political actors to subordinate individual and party’s interests to a broader national objective.

MEANWHILE, Atiku’s Senior Political Assistant, DemolaOlarewaju, has said that the lingering disagreement between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President is political rather than personal.

Olarewaju spoke, yesterday, during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he appeared alongside the Executive Director of the Centre for Responsive Governance (CRG), Ayodeji Ologun.

Olarewaju said Atiku still held Obasanjo in high esteem despite their political differences, insisting that there was no personal grievance between the two former leaders.

“The relationship between the former President Obasanjo and Atiku, in my view as a Nigerian who witnessed the administration and the post-administration, is the fact that they do not seem to have a personal issue. It is clear from how Atiku holds Obasanjo in high esteem,” he said.

He, however, said that the disagreement between the former President and his former deputy was rooted in politics, alleging that Obasanjo did not want Atiku to become President.

Olarewaju further described Obasanjo’s political activities since leaving office in 2007 as a “journey of redemption,” suggesting that the former President had over the years sought to rebuild his relationship with the Yoruba people.

According to him, changing the occupant of the Presidency without addressing the underlying structure of governance would not resolve the country’s problems.

Ologun, on his part, said Obasanjo’s position on Atiku had changed significantly over the years.

He recalled that Obasanjo spoke positively about Atiku in the build-up to the 2019 presidential election, particularly regarding the former vice president’s understanding of governance.

According to him, Atiku’s performance as vice president during Obasanjo’s administration demonstrated that the two men had maintained a strong working relationship while in government.

HOWEVER, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed reports suggesting that he is lobbying to be appointed Director-General (DG) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wike, who reaffirmed his commitment to the re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said he does not need to occupy any position in the President’s campaign council to contribute to his electoral victory.

The minister made the clarification through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, who described the reports as false.

Wike stressed that he was not seeking any campaign appointment, noting that his commitment to Tinubu’s re-election did not depend on occupying a formal position in the campaign structure.

SIMILARLY, campaigners, under the aegis of the Renewed Hope Project 2027, have dismissed the planned alliance among opposition figures, describing the move as no threat to Tinubu’s bid for re-election in 2027.

The group’s Chairman, Board of Trustees, Maj.-Gen. Abdulmalik Jibril (rtd), said the proposed opposition coalition would amount to an “exercise in futility,” insisting that the performance of Tinubu’s administration, rather than political calculations, would determine the outcome of the 2027 presidential election.

Jibril spoke during the inauguration and official unveiling of the Renewed Hope Project 2027, themed “A New Beginning, A Shared Vision, With Greater Nigeria,” graced by party stalwart, government functionaries and youths from across the country.

Jibril said the combination of opposition politicians would not unsettle Tinubu’s re-election prospects.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Renewed Hope Project 2027, Dauda Salihu, said the organisation would take the administration’s message of achievements to Nigerians at the grassroots.

Salihu said the project would focus on communicating the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration directly to voters, while encouraging citizens to assess the government on the basis of its record.