Plans by opposition leaders to forge a common front against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election have run into a major roadblock, with the camps of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi unwilling to concede the presidential ticket to each other.

It was gathered that efforts by the G-100, a coalition of opposition politicians, to persuade the major opposition parties to rally behind a single presidential candidate have stalled over disagreements between supporters of Atiku of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The development comes ahead of the August 31 Summit of Opposition Parties being convened by the G-100 to deliberate on the proposal and explore prospects of presenting a united challenge to Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The G-100 has been pushing for the NDC, ADC, Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and the Tanimu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rally behind one candidate in a bid to improve the opposition’s chances at the polls.

Last week, the group met with the Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives to solicit lawmakers’ support for the initiative.

However, sources familiar with the discussions told Daily Sun that neither the Atiku nor Obi camp has shown any willingness to yield ground, with competing arguments over zoning further complicating negotiations.

Atiku, who is in his eighties and making his sixth attempt at the presidency, is from the North, while Obi, who is younger and from the South, left the ADC for the NDC shortly before the commencement of nomination exercises for the 2027 elections.

Insiders said some opposition figures believe Obi has the stronger claim to the ticket under a rotational arrangement, a position resisted by the Atiku camp. The disagreement has deepened the impasse between the two men widely regarded as the opposition’s strongest contenders against the ruling party.

The stalemate has become more complicated as the affected parties have concluded their nomination processes and have either commenced campaigns or are preparing to do so in line with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable, narrowing the window for a last-minute consolidation around one candidate.

Nevertheless, a source in one of the opposition parties told Daily Sun that the disagreement had not extinguished support for greater cooperation ahead of the election.

The source said the parties “are not opposed to a Conference of the Opposition,” suggesting that collaboration could extend beyond the question of who emerges as the presidential candidate.

Spokesman of the Turaki-led PDP, Ini Ememobong, also expressed optimism that a common front could still emerge, especially given what he described as a shared determination among opposition leaders to prevent Tinubu and the APC from remaining in power beyond 2027.

“Nothing is impossible in politics. If everyone has agreed that anyone but Tinubu, which means that every other person will sacrifice to achieve success,” Ememobong told Daily Sun in a telephone interview.

One of the conveners of the G-100, Sergius Ogun, said the group would continue its efforts despite the apparent difficulties.

“In my place, they say if you don’t put your leg inside the stream, you won’t know how deep it is. We don’t lose anything by trying.

“The first is to get them to talk, let them see what is ahead of them, because this party, the party in government today, has introduced money politics. The opposition will not have that big pocket to challenge them.

“So, the earlier you put your resources together, I’m not necessarily talking about money, human, material, and then harness the goodwill that the individual political parties’ leaders have, the earlier you do that to present a formidable front, the better,” Ogun said.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party welcomed efforts aimed at strengthening opposition collaboration.

Asked whether the proposed alliance was coming too late, considering that nominations had already been concluded by the affected parties, Abdullahi said that in politics, only a few things could be considered too late.

With Atiku and Obi yet to publicly indicate any willingness to step down for the other, attention will now shift to the August 31 summit, where opposition leaders are expected to confront the divisions threatening the single-candidate initiative. (The Sun)