Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the G100 political movement and the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives have intensified efforts to unite opposition parties and political actors under a common front capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The renewed push followed a meeting held at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Tuesday between a delegation of G100, led by its Convener and former National Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Malam Salihu Lukman, and the Mr Fred Agbedi led House Minority Caucus.

The meeting formed part of G100’s ongoing consultations with opposition leaders and stakeholders ahead of a proposed national summit scheduled for August 31.

The initiative is coming amid growing concerns among opposition politicians that continued fragmentation could weaken their chances in the 2027 elections and potentially reproduce the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, when opposition parties contested separately lost narrowly to APC led President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Lukman who is a vitriolic critic of the APC led administration explained that the movement was established out of concern over the political direction of the country and the inability of opposition forces to work together.

He stressed that the group’s objective was not to promote the interest of any individual, political party or organisation, but to persuade opposition leaders to negotiate a common political arrangement ahead of 2027.

“Our mission is simple. It was a follow-up to the open letter we issued to our leaders, which you are part of that leadership, and we all came together out of concern,” Lukman told the minority lawmakers.

He said the concern was that opposition parties remained too fragmented to mount an effective challenge against the APC.

“As opposition parties, we seem to be fragmented, and if we continue the way we are going, we are almost going to replay the 2023 scenario. It is almost like a case of handing over victory to the ruling party, and then we go back to square one,” he said.

Lukman argued that the current challenges facing the country made it imperative for opposition leaders to put aside their differences and work towards a common political objective.

He added that G100 was prepared to facilitate whatever negotiations would be necessary to bring the opposition together ahead of the 2027 polls.

Lukman disclosed that the group had already embarked on consultations with key leaders across six opposition political parties.

According to him, the parties include the African Democratic Congress (ADC), New Nigeria Democratic Party (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Action Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

He said the consultations involved presidential candidates, running mates and national chairmen of the parties, with G100 presenting its argument that opposition leaders needed to negotiate a common front if they were serious about defeating the APC.

Lukman said the responses from the political leaders had been largely encouraging, leading to the decision to convene a national summit of opposition leaders.

The summit, initially scheduled for August 18, was postponed to August 31 after several political leaders appealed for a change of date because of their participation in the signing of a peace accord with the National Peace Committee.

He said the postponement also provided an opportunity for G100 to expand its consultations and bring more Nigerians and political actors into the process.

“Many Nigerians have indicated good support, and we want to work with everybody. This is not about us; it’s about the country,” Lukman said.

He urged political leaders who had already expressed support for the initiative to join hands and encourage their respective parties to negotiate an arrangement that could produce a common opposition front.

“This is our mission here,” he said.

Lukman also disclosed that a technical committee had been established to work out details of the proposed opposition collaboration, adding that the Minority Caucus had agreed to nominate members to participate in the process.

He stressed that although the initiative began as G100, with about 100 people signing on to the project, it had since grown beyond its original membership.

“It is an organic initiative. We want to ensure that everybody who believes they have a role to play can contribute,” he said.

Lukman said the group would continue to engage stakeholders ahead of the August 31 summit, insisting that the initiative remained open to all Nigerians and political leaders willing to contribute to the formation of a credible alternative.

Responding, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr Fred Agbedi, said the Minority Caucus was committed to strengthening opposition politics and creating a credible alternative ahead of the 2027 elections.

Agbedi welcomed the G100 delegation to the National Assembly, saying the objectives of the caucus and the movement were closely aligned.

He disclosed that members of the Minority Caucus had continued consultations with opposition parties and political actors despite the legislative recess because of the importance the lawmakers attached to building a strong opposition ahead of 2027.

“As minorities, that was our objective, and because of that, a number of us haven’t travelled since we went on vacation because we decided that we must go around all the parties and the presidential candidates and the other members to make sure that we come together and create a strong and virile opposition for the 2027 election,” Agbedi said.

He said the caucus saw the G100 initiative as complementing its own efforts.

“When we saw the G100, it matches our position. And so this is a marriage of convenience, and we believe that we are keyed in already individually and collectively as opposition parties in the House of Representatives,” he said.

Agbedi assured the G100 delegation that the caucus would work with the movement both individually and collectively.

“We assure you that we’re going to work together,” he said.

He further confirmed that the caucus had already nominated lawmakers to participate in the technical committee set up by G100.

The Minority Leader said the caucus was ready to contribute to the wider consultations and efforts aimed at producing a united opposition ahead of the elections.

He described the task before opposition politicians as one that required collective action, stressing that the ultimate objective should be to work together to “salvage Nigeria.”

The engagement with the House Minority Caucus is therefore significant because lawmakers from different opposition parties could play a role in facilitating consultations within their respective political organisations and constituencies.

The latest development also highlights the growing realisation among opposition actors that electoral victory in 2027 may depend not only on individual party strength but also on the ability to build alliances across party lines.

For G100, the immediate task is to sustain the consultations, broaden participation and convince political leaders that their individual ambitions must be negotiated within a wider opposition strategy.