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ABUJA, NIGERIA — The race for a united opposition front ahead of the 2027 presidential election has entered a decisive stage as the Political Commission set up by the Movement for Credible Elections, MCE, has opened secret talks with shortlisted opposition presidential candidates and their parties.
The Commission, which is chaired by renowned political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, said it will meet the candidates and party leaders behind closed doors before its tactical session scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, in a fortnight.
In a press statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday and signed by its Media Coordinator, Comrade James Ezema, the MCE said the closed-door strategy was deliberate to shield the sensitive negotiations from sabotage.
According to the movement, parties shortlisted for the coalition talks include the Social Democratic Party, SDP, African Democratic Congress, ADC, Allied People’s Movement, APM, Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Accord Party, Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, African Action Congress, AAC, and Young Progressives Party, YPP.
The MCE explained that the secrecy has become necessary to ward off what it described as “political mercenaries and jobbers” determined to frustrate the process.
It noted that Nigeria cannot afford a repeat of past opposition arrangements where parties agreed on the need for a united front but collapsed at the point of choosing the arrowhead of the alliance.
The group stressed that the success of the coalition will depend less on the popularity of individual aspirants and more on the credibility, transparency and fairness of the process that produces the consensus candidate.
“The modalities and terms of endorsement will be agreed by all and not imposed,” the statement said, adding that all participating parties must subscribe to clear and transparent rules of engagement before any endorsement is made.
The Movement assured that personal ambition will not be allowed to truncate what it called the collective quest of Nigerians for a formidable democratic alternative in 2027.
Apart from Prof. Utomi, other members of the Political Commission driving the engagement include former Minister, Hajiya Maryam Inna Ciroma, Mrs. Modupe Adelaja, former Minister of Sports, Comrade Solomon Dalung, Hon. Uche Onyeagocha, Dr. Olusegun Mayegun, Dr. Sam Amadi, Mr. Mike Igini, Obongawan Barbara Etim James, veteran activist Olawale Okunniyi and Dr. Adum Ter Alex, among others currently being co-opted.
The MCE said the public announcement became imperative as talks with the opposition parties enter a critical phase, stressing that its goal is not merely to assemble politicians to win an election but to provide Nigerians with a credible and sustainable democratic alternative.
It disclosed that its criteria for assessing aspirants will include national acceptability, competence, integrity, leadership profile, electability, policy orientation, commitment to democratic institutions, capacity to unite the country, ability to work with diverse interests, and a clear understanding of the national constitutional question.
The coalition arrangement, the group added, will be anchored on a clearly articulated national programme that Nigerians can interrogate before being asked to support any candidate.
“The Nigerian people deserve more than a coalition of political personalities. They deserve a coalition of ideas, competence, values and a coherent ideological programme for national salvation,” the MCE stated.
According to the statement, the process will produce not only a consensus presidential candidate but also a common governance agenda to address insecurity, economic hardship, unemployment, poverty, institutional decay, electoral integrity, constitutional reform, education, healthcare, energy and the high cost of governance.
The Movement maintained that its role is not to impose a candidate on any party but to facilitate a credible process that all stakeholders can own. It urged participants to place Nigeria’s democratic future above personal interests, noting that no single individual or party can alone compete formidably against the ruling party.
It, however, said every participating candidate and party must make a prior commitment to respect the outcome of the process and support the adopted presidential candidate of the opposition coalition without equivocation in the 2027 polls.
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