The coalition of opposition political parties seeking greater cooperation ahead of the 2027 general elections has moved into an implementation phase following the inaugural meeting of its Central Leadership Committee.
The committee, established at the August 31 opposition summit in Abuja, met for the first time on Wednesday, September 16, and adopted a number of operational guidelines for the proposed alliance.
The Convener of the G-100, Salihu Lukman, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday on behalf of the participating parties.
According to Lukman, members agreed that the chairmanship of the committee's meetings would rotate among the participating parties in alphabetical order.
He said the arrangement was intended to uphold the principle of equality and ensure that no individual party dominated the emerging coalition.
“The central leadership agreed to operational principles that would guarantee equal opportunity and mutual respect among coalescing parties,” the statement said.
The committee also reviewed the communiqué issued at the August summit and began working on the implementation of the decisions reached by the participating parties.
A major part of the process will involve constituting a Publicity Committee, Legal Committee and five working groups mandated to develop proposals on the structure and direction of the proposed alliance.
The parties have been given until the close of work on Friday, September 18, to submit nominees to the coalition secretariat.
The committees and working groups are expected to begin their respective assignments between September 21 and 27.
The five working groups will focus on areas considered central to the coalition-building process, including developing a framework for opposition unity, a transition arrangement, a national reform programme and a roadmap for producing a common presidential candidate.
In another decision, the Central Leadership Committee resolved to expand the coalition to include other opposition parties that have indicated an interest in joining the initiative.
The committee is expected to reconvene on September 23 to continue consultations and review progress in the implementation of the summit resolutions.
The latest development followed the August 31 meeting in Abuja, where opposition parties agreed to explore a more structured form of cooperation ahead of the 2027 elections.
The African Democratic Congress, Allied Peoples Movement, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party and Social Democratic Party were represented at the summit.
The G-100 had argued that the opposition needed to build an agreed institutional framework before attempting to resolve the more contentious issues surrounding leadership and candidate selection.
Lukman had also explained that the proposed coalition was not intended to force participating parties to merge or abandon their separate identities.
Instead, the initiative, according to him, was designed to provide a platform for the parties to work together while retaining their individual organisational structures and interests.
The August summit also proposed a Government of National Competence to operate for a single four-year transition period. The working groups are expected to develop the details of the proposal for subsequent consideration by the participating parties.
With the inauguration of the Central Leadership Committee and the planned commencement of the committees' activities, the coalition process is moving beyond consultations towards the creation of structures capable of coordinating its activities.
The parties will, however, still have to resolve important issues, particularly the question of leadership, the selection of a common presidential candidate and the precise terms under which they will cooperate.
The Central Leadership Committee said regular meetings would continue as part of efforts to deepen cooperation and build a coordinated opposition platform ahead of the 2027 elections.
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