NIGERIA: Opposition Leaders Set August 18 for Anti-APC Rally

By Temitope Adebiyi, Correspondent

The meeting of the leaders of the opposition parties in Nigeria, to form an alliance and present a single Presidential candidate against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is slated for the 18th of August.

Announcing the August 18 date for the meeting, African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Salihu Lukman said his group of 100 (G100) had met with party leaders, presidential candidates and running mates of major opposition parties.

The meeting is holding a day before the official commencement of campaigns for the January 16, 2027 presidential and national assembly elections, will be a last chance for the opposition parties to unite against the APC.

The initial attempts at the “National Opposition Political Parties’ Summit” where all the leading opposition figures agreed to support one presidential candidate, collapsed immediately after the meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

All those at that meeting are now presidential candidates – among the 19 cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

They include: Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi, Governor Seyi Makinde and Mr. Adewole Adebayo. Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, who also attended the meeting is Obi’s running mate on the ticket of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Lukman said: These engagements have been frank, constructive and encouraging.”

He explained that the initial talks were deliberately kept out of the media spotlight to protect the integrity of the negotiations and shield party leaders from the pressure of premature public commentary.

The statement reads: “Across these conversations, there has been a clear recognition of the need for Nigeria’s opposition parties to work more closely together ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“The leaders we have engaged have also acknowledged that achieving a credible and effective opposition will require sacrifice, compromise and a willingness to place the larger interests of the country above narrow partisan or individual considerations.”

While the group expressed optimism about the initial feedback, it stressed “the urgency of translating this political goodwill into a concrete alliance. This objective will anchor the August 18 summit, which seeks to operationalise the principles of the ‘Ibadan Declaration’— a blueprint demanding a credible and united electoral alternative.

“The G100 does not presume to dictate the outcome of these conversations,” Lukman clarified.

“Our role is to facilitate dialogue, build confidence and help create the conditions in which the participating political parties can openly consider the difficult questions of cooperation, sacrifice, accommodation and collective action,” he said.

Lukman emphasised that any emerging alliance must respect the legitimate concerns of all participating factions while prioritizing the Nigerian electorate.

“At this critical moment in our national journey, fragmentation among those seeking to provide that alternative serves neither the opposition nor the Nigerian people,” the statement added that sustainable political cooperation cannot be imposed, but must be “patiently negotiated and collectively owned.”