The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has poured cold water on a recent summit organised by Nigeria’s opposition parties, dismissing it as a "dead on arrival" venture and a clear sign of their anxiety over anticipated defeat in the 2027 general elections.

APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, through his Special Adviser on Media and Strategic Communications, Abimbola Tooki, stated that the participating parties are driven by self-interest rather than national concern. He questioned their ability to unite with only four months left before the election, especially after having four years to organise themselves. "All of them are out to protect their personal interests. The question is: What have they been looking at in the last four years? It's four months to the election and they have suddenly woken from their slumber. Is that how it works?" Tooki reportedly asked.

Adding his voice, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, reiterated his earlier stance that the opposition's coalition effort was a "journey to nowhere." According to Keyamo, the summit's outcome merely validated his position. It suggests it's a symptom of their acceptance of a "crushing defeat in 2027." He advised them to "honourably withdraw and support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu."

The APC's dismissive reaction comes after the first summit of Nigeria's six main opposition parties, held on Monday, August 31, in Abuja. The meeting brought together the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to create a framework for cooperation.

However, the summit was notably missing some heavyweights. Key figures like Atiku Abubakar of ADC, Peter Obi of NDC, and Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State Governor and APM presidential candidate, were absent. Despite these absences, the gathering did see attendance from other presidential and vice-presidential candidates. This included Prince Adewole Adebayo (SDP), Donald Duke (PRP), and Lawal Musa Daura (APM's vice-presidential candidate).

Mallam Salihu Lukman, the convener of the G100 group that organised the summit, proposed the establishment of a "Government of National Competence" based on a single four-year transition term. He stressed the need for an "enforceable transition charter." He noted that Nigerian politics often lacks enforceability when promises are made. "We want to underline the word ‘enforceable.’ This gathering doesn't need more sincerity. Nigerian politics has never suffered from a shortage of sincere promises. What it has suffered from is promises that nobody could enforce when the person who made them changed his/her mind," Lukman stated.

Lukman highlighted the "arithmetical" lessons from the 2023 general election as a reason for unity. He pointed out that opposition votes were split among multiple candidates. Their combined votes were more than the winner's. "The winner took just under nine million votes. One opposition candidate took close to seven million. Another took just over six million.

Thirteen million votes on one side of the argument, under nine million on the other. The side with fewer votes formed the government, lawfully, constitutionally and entirely predictably. Nobody stole 13 million votes. We divided them ourselves, in public, and we did it knowing exactly what the consequence would be," he explained. The G100 summit followed a previous, separate opposition meeting held in Ibadan, Oyo State, earlier this year.

This push for opposition unity comes as political parties begin to strategize for the 2027 general elections. The ruling APC, through its spokespersons, appears confident in its position. They are critical of the opposition's belated attempts to coalesce.