2027 Atiku Obi Makinde Resist Step-Down Pressure as G-100 Hits Snags
By: Abudu Olalekan
Looks like that big opposition unity push for 2027 is hitting real resistance now. Atiku, Obi and Makinde just aren’t stepping aside.
The G-100 crowd wanted one consensus presidential candidate to take on Tinubu. Ambassador Umanu Elijah, one of their members, still thinks consultations will wrap up and they’ll pick someone by September 30. He’s pretty confident about it.
But the camps of former VP Atiku Abubakar (ADC), Peter Obi (NDC) and Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde (APM) aren’t playing along. None of them is showing any sign of dropping out for somebody else. They’re all still selling themselves as the one to beat. That leaves the single-ticket idea looking shaky.
Other parties jumped in too. AAC, DLA, APM, ADP and a few more all said no, their candidates aren’t stepping down either. Makes the whole broad opposition consensus thing even messier. Everyone’s hanging onto their own guy.
They did meet recently at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. Six opposition parties showed up for the G-100 Alliance Summit, talking about working together against APC. Trying to build something strong enough to actually challenge the ruling party.
Elijah spoke to Reportersroom and said G-100 is still aiming for that consensus pick from the opposition lot. Talks going on quietly. He figures they’ll lock it in this month then go round asking others to back whoever they choose.
He put it like this: they had the first summit in Abuja with the parties and their candidates. It’s a slow process. No single name yet, but that’s the target. He even pointed to Obi visiting Makinde the other day as the kind of conversation they’re pushing. Meetings happening off-camera. He’s sure they’ll have a name before month-end.
Atiku’s media guy Paul Ibe wouldn’t say a word.
A close ally of Atiku though claimed the former VP isn’t against alliances at all. Said Atiku actually thought of this ages ago and that’s how ADC even came about. Stakeholders from different parties got consulted, that’s why ADC is the coalition platform now and Atiku’s the candidate. While others are still chatting about G-100 and coalitions, Atiku’s already there. He’s open to talking as a statesman, meets people who come to him. But he’s running in 2027. Folks who understand the country and think only he can handle it will come over from other parties.
APM’s national publicity secretary Abubakar Yusuf told Reportersroom Makinde is in this to win, not just show up. Talks on consensus are happening, sure, but he hasn’t pulled out and could still end up as the chosen one.
Yusuf said you heard the candidate himself, the party chairman, even the VP candidate. The Oyo governor isn’t in the race for jokes or to mess with people. He’s contesting to win 2027. They’ve got people in G-100, discussions going on. Who says Makinde won’t be the consensus pick? For now he’s in it to win and hasn’t stepped down for anyone.
NDC’s Osa Director said the party is open to talking about a single opposition candidate. Their man is one of the strongest and stands a real chance of being picked.
He noted the constitution lets them associate with whoever. That’s why you see their candidate mixing with others across parties. Coming together is part of their thing, but that doesn’t mean they lack what it takes to win on their own. Their candidate is popular and credible. They’re already in those discussions because they reckon he’s among the best and could easily emerge as the consensus choice.
AAC’s Omoyele Sowore isn’t buying the single-candidate idea at all. He said gathering opposition politicians and slapping a “unity” label on it without shared ideology or real reforms just creates another elite deal. Doesn’t fix Nigeria’s actual problems.
He asked what they’d even be united around. Cooperation needs common ideology and a proper development plan, not just kicking APC out. A candidate without that is just swapping faces while the same failed system stays. AAC and their people want real change, not another set of the same politicians who helped create the mess.
On stepping down, Sowore was blunt. He wouldn’t hand over the hopes of millions just because some opposition folks said they’d agreed on one name. That’s an elite arrangement he’s not surrendering to.
DLA’s Tosin Odeyemi kept it short: they don’t support a single presidential candidate and theirs isn’t stepping down.
YPP candidate Peter Agada said he might consider it, but only if it’s driven by actual ideology, a development plan that pushes power down to the wards, and boosts the small-scale economy the way the big one is now.
ADP chairman Yabbagi Sani said they won’t pull their candidate for anyone. Aligning all those different interests, policies and programmes in a short time? Tough. They’ve got their own manifesto. Their guy stays in. They’d rather welcome anyone ready to step down and back theirs instead.
So yeah, the G-100 plan is still on paper. But right now Atiku, Obi and Makinde are holding their ground. September 30 deadline is coming up fast. We’ll see if anything actually shifts.
Olalekan A. Abudu is a seasoned and dedicated News Journalist at REPORTERS ROOM, with over eight years of experience. He specializes in politics, climate change, health, and education, while also covering security, economic, and judicial issues. Committed to accuracy and balanced reporting, Olalekan exemplifies the principles of public-interest journalism.
