The G-100 political pressure group convened an opposition summit in Abuja on Monday, August 31, 2026, aiming to build a coalition against President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 presidential election. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) confirmed their participation, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejected the summit entirely, stating that any opposition talks without it are 'dead on arrival'.
Summit Details and Organizers
The summit took place at the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja, organized by G-100, a group led by Salihu Lukman, former Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum. Lukman has consistently warned that a fragmented opposition cannot dislodge a well-resourced ruling party. The group framed the gathering as a response to what it called a historic opportunity for the opposition, arguing that Nigerian voters deserve a credible alternative to the ruling party.
In a statement issued on Sunday ahead of the summit, G-100 emphasized that past elections had shown how a split opposition vote can inadvertently benefit an incumbent. The statement read: "The experience of elections in Nigeria and elsewhere has repeatedly demonstrated that a divided 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."
SDP and PRP Confirm Attendance
The Social Democratic Party confirmed its participation at the highest level. The party's National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, said the SDP's national leadership and presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, would attend. "Our national leadership and presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, will participate in the Summit of Nigerian Opposition Political Parties under the auspices of the G-100, scheduled to hold in Abuja at the Yar'Adua Centre, on Monday, August 31, 2026," Aiyenigba said.
The Peoples Redemption Party also confirmed its presence. National Publicity Secretary Bello Ishaq gave a brief response when contacted: "We are attending." The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) had not confirmed their positions before this report was filed.
PDP Rejects Summit, Calls It 'Dead on Arrival'
The Peoples Democratic Party took the opposite position. Spokesman of its National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, said the party had no knowledge of the meeting and no intention to join any external alliance discussions. "The PDP is not aware of any gathering in the name of opposition summit. 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 said.
G-100's statement clarified that cooperation does not require parties to abandon their identities or presidential ambitions. "Cooperation does not require any party to surrender these. Nor does it require political leaders to abandon their aspirations," it said. The group also cautioned participating leaders against making the summit a contest for dominance within the opposition, saying the goal was to begin building practical mechanisms for dialogue and coordination before 2027. The summit's outcome and next steps remain to be seen, but the divide between participating parties and the PDP highlights the challenges in forming a unified opposition front.
