Politics
2027: WE'RE WORKING ON PROPOSAL FOR UNIFIED OPPOSITION — LUKMAN
Salihu Lukman says opposition parties are drafting a framework to agree on one candidate to challenge President Tinubu and the APC in 2027.
Former Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has stated that a framework is being established to ensure that the opposition presents a single candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 elections.
He emphasized that opposition parties need to recognize that their battle is not with one another but with the APC and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
In an interview with Arise News, Lukman said a proposal had been put forward for the consideration of opposition leaders.
He added that the objective was to create a structure that would allow them to function as a cohesive unit, enabling them to present a united front to the Nigerian electorate by the time of the 2027 elections.
"The ultimate objective is that we want to have one candidate, but it cannot be by declaration. They have to sit down and agree on the criteria they are going to apply in determining that candidate. They will agree among themselves.
"Nobody will dictate it to them, which is why, if you put the question to the supporters of each of the candidates, again, you are not being fair to the candidates, because, at the end of the day, it is the quality of the relationship.
"We have posed the question to them, and, for emphasis, let me remind you of the question we have posed to them. At the end of the day, there will only be one president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The question they need to answer themselves is: Do they just want to be candidates, or do they want to win the election to become president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
"They have to work together, and the primary opponent is the APC and President Bola Tinubu. So, when you now begin to pose the question as if the primary opponent is either former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or former Governor Peter Obi, you get it wrong.
"As far as we are concerned, we are putting forward a structure, and we are putting a proposal to them to consider, which will lead to the formation of that structure that will enable them to work as a united body, on the basis of which, by the 2027 election, they will present Nigerians with a united front."
Source: Arise News.