Leading opposition figure, Buba Galadima, the African Democratic Congress and the All Progressives Grand Alliance on Monday shared opposing views on the call by a group of 100 Nigerians for the opposition to close ranks and field a single presidential candidate to run against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

Recall that the G-100, led by ex-All Progressives Congress chieftain, Salisu Lukman, recently called on presidential candidates including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the ADC and his Nigeria Democratic Congress counterpart, Mr Peter Obi, as well as their running mates, Rotimi Amaechi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, to forge a common front against Tinubu in 2027.

The group argued that a fragmented opposition would hand a second tenure to Tinubu on a platter, noting that no single opposition party is strong enough to unseat the incumbent president.

In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, Galadima welcomed the G-100 proposal, noting that if the idea enjoys the support of the majority of Nigerians, it should be allowed to fly.

He said, “If a single candidate will emerge out of the feelings of Nigerians, why not? But it should not be about partisan or selfish people. There are a lot of things to be considered in choosing a single candidate.”

According to Galadima, “One of such criteria is electability. Another one is the ability to do the job effectively when elected.

“Nigeria has gone into a situation where we need somebody who can spend 16 hours out of 24 hands-on on the job. Anybody who cannot do that is out of the question.”

That said, Galadima questioned the sincerity of the Lukman-led group, saying, “Even with those 100 people, we hope that they are genuinely driven by patriotism to bring forward a candidate who could be supported, not out of selfishness or personal needs, but in the interest of the country.”

Besides presenting a formidable candidate to contest the election against Tinubu, the veteran politician urged Nigerians to insist on credible, transparent elections, without which, he said, the votes of the people will count for nothing.

“There is something which we need to fight for more than the issue of a single opposition candidate. All of us must come together to force this government to conduct a free, fair and transparent election. That is the foremost thing. I hope we are not too late on this,” he added.

When asked if from the pool of opposition presidential candidates, there is one capable of changing the governance narrative, Galadima replied in the affirmative.

“At least, there can be one of them. We can’t have 100 per cent pass rating. Everyone has got his deficiency, but when you look at the candidates, definitely, there ought to be one that is better than the rest,” he stated without going into details.

While expressing support for the proposal, the ADC disagreed with the G-100 argument that only a united opposition can dislodge Tinubu in 2027.

Speaking with our correspondent, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said, “ADC does not think that the only way to beat Tinubu is through an alliance.

“Of course, we are open to any relationship or collaboration with any other political party that shares our vision and aspirations because we believe that the situation that the country has found itself requires a broad-based government and an inclusive government.”

This position did not sit well with APGA, whose National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opara, pledged the party’s support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Asked for the opposition of his party to the call by G-100 for a united opposition, Opara said, “We are solidly behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second tenure.”

The development comes as G-100 is set to convene a summit in Abuja on August 18, 2026, as part of efforts to forge greater unity among Nigeria’s opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The summit follows a series of consultations between representatives of the G-100 and leaders of six opposition political parties, including the ADC, Allied People’s Movement, NDC, the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party and Social Democratic Party.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by Lukman, the group said the consultations had created a basis for deeper discussions on how the opposition could work together to present a credible alternative to Nigerians in 2027.

The statement, titled “G100: Consultations with opposition leaders set stage for unity summit,” said representatives of the group had met with the national chairmen, presidential candidates and running mates of the opposition parties.

The consultations, according to the group, were deliberately conducted away from the media to enable the political actors to discuss sensitive issues freely without the pressure of public scrutiny.

The G-100 said it was encouraged by what it described as a convergence of views among the opposition leaders consulted so far, but noted that political goodwill must now be translated into a workable framework.

The August 18 summit could therefore become an important test of the willingness of the opposition parties to move beyond individual political interests and explore a common platform ahead of the 2027 elections.