Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar remains open to discussions on opposition cooperation ahead of the 2027 presidential election, his campaign has said.
The clarification came after reports that the G100 opposition initiative was considering alternative arrangements, including a possible presidential run-off, following difficulties in persuading major opposition candidates to support a single candidate.
Atiku is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while former Anambra State governor Peter Obi is contesting under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Council, said the campaign had not established that Atiku had rejected the proposal being discussed by the G100.
“I cannot confirm at this stage that His Excellency has rejected the proposal or that any agreement on a single candidate or run-off cooperation has been reached,” Shaibu said.
He explained that discussions were still being examined and that Atiku remained willing to consider efforts aimed at bringing opposition forces closer together.
According to him, the campaign was also seeking clarity on the details of the G100 proposal and the response attributed to Atiku.
Shaibu said he was particularly checking whether the group had presented polling data or electoral modelling to support the argument that the opposition should prepare for a possible second round of voting.
“I also do not want to speculate about conditional endorsements or reciprocal commitments,” he said.
The clarification followed reports that the G100 was considering a run-off strategy after its efforts to achieve a common presidential candidate continued to face difficulties.
The initiative had been pushing opposition parties to agree on one candidate ahead of the 2027 election.
The proposal is aimed at reducing the possibility of opposition votes being divided among several presidential contenders.
Recent consultations, however, have shown that major opposition politicians are yet to abandon their separate presidential ambitions.
A report by Saturday Punch said the G100 was considering the possibility of opposition parties cooperating if the presidential election proceeds to a second round.
Sources cited in the report said discussions with Atiku and Obi were continuing. However, neither candidate had indicated acceptance of the proposed single-candidate arrangement.
One of the scenarios being discussed is for opposition parties to retain their individual candidates in the first round and then cooperate behind one candidate if a run-off becomes necessary.
The idea is based on the possibility that no candidate may secure enough votes to meet the constitutional requirements for an outright victory in the first round.
However, the polling and research said to have informed that position have not been independently verified.
This was why Shaibu said Atiku’s camp was checking whether any such research or electoral modelling had been formally presented during the consultations.
The G100 has been working for months to bring several opposition parties and political figures into a common framework ahead of the 2027 election.
The group, led by former All Progressives Congress national vice-chairman Salihu Lukman, intensified its consultations in August.
On August 31, the G100 and the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives organised an opposition summit at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
Representatives of several opposition parties attended the meeting.
They included the ADC, Allied Peoples Movement, NDC, a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party and Social Democratic Party.
Atiku and Obi were not present at the summit.
The meeting focused on developing a framework that could encourage greater cooperation among opposition parties without immediately forcing the parties to dissolve or surrender their individual identities.
Several working groups were proposed to develop ideas around opposition unity, a national reform programme, a transition arrangement and a possible common presidential candidate.
The G100 had also argued that opposition parties needed to learn from the 2023 presidential election, when votes were spread among several major opposition candidates.
The issue of a common candidate has therefore remained at the centre of the coalition discussions.
But the latest developments suggest that the discussions may now be moving beyond the question of producing one candidate before the election.
The possible run-off arrangement would allow the opposition parties to maintain separate candidates in the initial contest while leaving room for cooperation later, depending on the outcome.
Atiku’s camp has not publicly committed itself to such an arrangement.
Instead, Shaibu’s comments indicate that discussions are still ongoing and that the campaign is seeking details before taking a position on specific proposals.
