The proposed summit of opposition political parties convened by the G-100 has been postponed from 18 to 31 August 2026 to allow participating parties to hold further consultations following the National Peace Summit.
The G-100 is seeking greater cooperation among opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, including the possibility of fielding a single presidential candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
The group has called on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, who are presidential candidates of the African Democratic Congress and Nigeria Democratic Congress respectively, as well as other opposition leaders, to work towards a united platform.
It argued that a divided opposition would have little prospect of defeating Tinubu at the polls.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by former All Progressives Congress chieftain Salihu Lukman, the G-100 said the decision to reschedule the summit followed consultations with six participating opposition parties and members of the House of Representatives minority caucus.
The group said the parties and lawmakers agreed that the summit would be more productive if held after the National Peace Summit scheduled for 18 August.
It added that the additional time would allow stakeholders to refine proposals and frameworks for consideration at the opposition meeting.
The G-100 described its consultations over the past several days with the leadership and key stakeholders of the six opposition parties, as well as members of the House minority caucus, as “frank, substantive and encouraging”.
The group said the discussions had revealed a broad recognition among the parties that Nigeria had reached an important point in its democratic development and that opposition parties needed to engage one another with greater purpose and structure.
It acknowledged that differences remained among the parties but said these had not prevented discussions about possible areas of cooperation.
“What we have enjoyed most about these consultations is their candour. There are differences, as there should be, but there is also a genuine willingness to listen, to interrogate the available options and to explore practical areas of cooperation,” the statement said.
The G-100 said the quality of the discussions had strengthened its belief that the rescheduled summit could produce meaningful results.
“The quality of the conversations gives us confidence that the 31 August Summit can be both substantive and consequential,” it said.
The rescheduling comes amid growing pressure on opposition parties to define their strategies and political alliances ahead of the 2027 elections.
The summit is expected to provide a forum for the parties to consider areas of collaboration and develop a more coordinated approach to opposition politics.
Rather than proceed with the original date, the G-100 said it would use the additional period to deepen consultations with the participating parties and other stakeholders.
It said further details about the summit’s programme and venue would be announced in due course.
