The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has distanced itself from a major opposition summit convened to forge a common front against President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The summit, organised by the political pressure group G-100 and scheduled to hold today at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, is expected to draw opposition parties and political actors seeking greater cooperation to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Two opposition parties, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), have confirmed their attendance.
The G-100 has also been in consultations with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). However, the PDP, considered the main opposition party, has firmly ruled out participation.
Punch Newspaper reported that the PDP’s stance was disclosed by Jungudo Mohammed, spokesperson for its National Caretaker Committee, who insisted the PDP would not be part of any alliance discussions outside its own structures.
“The PDP is not aware of any gathering in the name of opposition summit,” Mohammed said. “We are also not in any planned arrangement with any political party for any possible alliance. Any opposition discussion where the PDP is not party to is dead on arrival.”
Mohammed further warned that those attending in the party’s name lacked authority to commit the PDP to any political arrangement, describing them as impostors restricted by court orders from acting as party leaders.
The SDP confirmed its full participation through its National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, who described the party as occupying a frontline position in what he called the “national rescue movement.”
According to Aiyenigba, the party’s presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, along with its national leadership, would be present at the Abuja summit. He added that the gathering provides an opportunity for opposition parties to explore practical areas of cooperation and coordination ahead of the 2027 elections.
The PRP also confirmed its attendance through its National Publicity Secretary, Bello Ishaq, though he declined to provide further details.
The G-100, led by former Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has consistently argued that a divided opposition would struggle to defeat an incumbent with the organisational and financial advantages of a ruling party.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the group urged opposition leaders to approach the summit with open minds and a willingness to set aside personal ambitions for the greater good.
“Tomorrow’s summit comes at an important moment for Nigeria’s democracy. Across the country, millions of Nigerians are looking to the opposition not merely to criticise the government of the day, but to demonstrate the maturity, discipline and sense of national purpose required to offer a credible alternative,” the statement read.
The G-100 acknowledged that participating parties have different histories, structures, and presidential ambitions, but insisted these differences should not prevent cooperation where interests converge.
“Cooperation does not require any party to surrender these. Nor does it require political leaders to abandon their aspirations. It simply requires the wisdom to recognise that there are moments when what unites us must become more important than what separates us,” the group argued.
The G-100 pointed to previous elections as evidence that a fragmented opposition often strengthens the incumbent.
“When parties competing for the same broad constituency fragment their energies, resources and votes, they risk turning their differences into an unintended advantage for those they seek to replace. Division is a choice. Cooperation must now become a strategy,” the group said.
The summit, however, is not intended to force participating parties to abandon their identities or ambitions. According to the G-100, the immediate objective is to establish mechanisms for dialogue, coordination, and resolving areas of disagreement.
The G-100 also cautioned against turning the summit into a contest for influence among opposition politicians.
“Tomorrow is not about declaring winners or losers within the opposition. It is about beginning the work of ensuring that Nigerian democracy wins. Alone, each opposition party can make its case. Together, the opposition can change the course of the country,” the group added.
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