By Lateef Ibrahim with agency report
The opposition’s quest to unseat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections must go beyond electoral calculations and the sharing of political positions, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has said.
Lagos State Chairman of the PRP, James Adeshina, said opposition parties would only offer Nigerians a credible alternative if they overcome the divisions that characterized the 2023 presidential election.
Adeshina, who is also the Publicity Secretary of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday while reacting to the emerging G100 coalition initiative involving opposition leaders and political actors.
He described the participation of PRP presidential candidate Donald Duke in the initiative as a positive development, arguing that stronger coordination among opposition parties was necessary ahead of 2027.
According to him, Duke’s willingness to support whoever emerges from a credible and transparent process demonstrates that the opposition must place national interest above individual ambitions.
He said the experience of the 2023 election, when votes were spread among several presidential candidates, should serve as a lesson for opposition parties seeking to mount a serious challenge in 2027.
Adeshina, however, warned that simply bringing opposition politicians together for the purpose of defeating the APC would not produce the kind of political alternative Nigerians require.
He said any coalition must be founded on clearly defined principles, democratic decision-making and transparency.
The PRP chieftain also insisted that opposition parties must develop a common policy programme capable of tackling the country’s major challenges, including economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment, poverty and institutional weaknesses.
He said the PRP welcomed genuine efforts to bring opposition parties and like-minded Nigerians to the negotiating table.
Adeshina further stressed that participation in a coalition should not require political parties to abandon their identities or organisational structures.
Rather, he said, the parties should retain their distinct identities while working collectively towards presenting Nigerians with a competent and credible national alternative.
He described Duke’s involvement in the G100 initiative as part of a broader effort to rethink opposition politics and avoid the fragmentation that weakened the opposition’s chances in previous elections.
The G100 initiative is an emerging platform involving opposition figures and political actors seeking greater collaboration and coordination ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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