Opposition can still field consensus candidate in 2027, says NDC

Michael Olumide Alabi

Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has said opposition parties can still forge a united front ahead of the 2027 general elections despite the absence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi from the recent National Opposition Summit in Abuja.

NDC chieftain and Lagos Central senatorial candidate of the party, Ladipo Johnson, stated this on Tuesday while speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu.

The summit, held in Abuja, brought opposition parties together to discuss the possibility of greater cooperation and a common platform ahead of the 2027 elections. Reports on the meeting said representatives of several opposition parties attended, while Atiku and Obi were absent.

Johnson said the absence of the two opposition figures should not be interpreted as a rejection of the unity initiative, arguing that political parties have an important role to play in negotiations.

“We have to keep aspiring, but I wouldn’t say that the absence of the gentlemen means that it was not a serious occasion. I wouldn’t say that the absence of my presidential candidate, vice presidential candidate, or those of the ADC meant that they had no interest in the matter. They do,” he said.

According to him, political parties must first establish an understanding before presidential candidates are brought fully into the process.

“You understand that the party has an important role in party politics and usually at this stage of such negotiations, it is the party that really dots the I’s and crosses the T’s,” Johnson stated.

He said opposition parties would be stronger if they worked together to present Nigerians with what he described as a credible alternative.

“One thing is clear: the stronger we are, the better for us. We have to come together to make sure that we give Nigerians an opportunity, an alternative that is credible and strong,” he said.

Johnson added that such an alliance should seek to restore public confidence and address the economic and security challenges facing the country.

“That is strong enough to give Nigerians more confidence. I’m not saying we’re not strong as individual parties. We will give them more confidence that hope and help are on the way to get Nigerians away from the economic doldrums they have faced in recent times and the insecurities,” he said.

Consensus Candidate Still Possible
On whether Peter Obi could relinquish his presidential ambition in favour of another opposition candidate, Johnson said the circumstances surrounding the current negotiations were different from previous political arrangements.

“The situation at that time was totally different. They left because of certain legal reasons that they felt might be inimical to the growth of the party at that time, the ADC,” he explained.

Johnson said opposition parties could support a particular candidate without necessarily merging into or joining that candidate’s political party.

“Right now, there is a possibility of working together. I doubt if anyone will be leaving somewhere to join someone else or whatever,” he said.

He explained that the opposition parties could retain their identities while agreeing to support a common presidential candidate.

“What you can have is that if you feel it is going to work, then the candidates of a party might go on and other parties will say we are supporting these two people to bring about a unified whatever against the government in power,” he said.

“It was just the principles that were spoken about that we should make sure that we have one presidential candidate that we would all support, and we did not say that person would come from a particular party or the other, and so, it is still a possibility,” he added.

The NDC chieftain said the emergence of the NDC and its Obi-Kwankwaso ticket did not necessarily foreclose the possibility of a broader opposition arrangement.

He said other political parties could still endorse or support the NDC ticket before the election.

“So, you cannot stop aspiring. You remember I said that at the beginning. We cannot stop aspiring,” Johnson reiterated.

‘I’ll abide by party decision’

Asked whether he would personally support a consensus opposition candidate other than Peter Obi, Johnson said he would abide by the decision of the NDC leadership.

“Definitely, if I am a member, a minuscule, minute member of the NDC, if the party, the leadership has decided that, OK, we are supporting so-and-so person, who is Ladipo Johnson, to say, no, I am going against what the party has said as a whole? You don’t do that,” he said.

Johnson, however, said the decision on a possible alliance should be based on the ability of the candidate to offer Nigerians a different policy direction rather than simply seeking to remove President Bola Tinubu or the All Progressives Congress (APC) from power.

“It is not just about getting rid of President Bola Tinubu or the APC. For us, in the NDC, especially my two principals, Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, it is about presenting something better,” he stated.

The NDC formally affirmed the Obi-Kwankwaso presidential ticket at its special convention in May 2026.

Johnson Defends Kwankwaso’s Decision
Johnson also defended Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s decision to support Obi, describing it as an example of what he called statesmanship and willingness to place broader political considerations above personal ambition.

According to him, the decision was reached after consultations and was influenced partly by considerations about the political balance between the North and South.

“Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has shown his statesmanship. He has shown that he has ambition, and he contested the last time and actually had ambition to contest, but he sat down with a lot of people over a period of time, it wasn’t overnight; it was a gradual process, and came to the conclusion, firstly, that we now have a southerner in government,” Johnson said.

Obi and Kwankwaso formally joined the NDC in May, with the move marking a significant realignment of opposition politics ahead of the 2027 elections.

Atiku’s followership

Johnson also disputed the argument that Atiku automatically has a larger grassroots following than Obi because of the votes he secured in the 2023 presidential election.

He argued that Atiku contested the 2023 election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a major political party with an established national structure.

“I believe that Atiku Abubakar has been fortunate, especially at the last election, of representing a major party, which was the PDP. So if you are looking at the votes he got and say that he has a larger followership than His Excellency Peter Obi, I disagree,” he said.

“I keep telling people that when it comes to organic followership, I don’t think anyone beats both of them, Peter Obi and Kwankwaso,” Johnson added.

‘Mass Turnout Will Not Favour Ruling Party’
Johnson further expressed the view that increased voter participation in the 2027 election would not favour the ruling APC, arguing that many Nigerians are dissatisfied with the current state of the country.

“Mass turnout of voters will not be in favour of the ruling party. Nigerians are not mad people,” he said.

The opposition unity talks remain focused on the possibility of cooperation among parties and the presentation of a common candidate, although the participating parties still face questions over candidate selection, party structures and the terms of any eventual alliance. Recent reporting indicates that the Abuja summit established a process for further negotiations rather than a final agreement on a single candidate.