2027: Onaiyekan tasks opposition on unity ahead of polls

Former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has described a strong opposition as vital to sustaining Nigeria’s democracy, while urging opposition parties to close ranks ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Onaiyekan made the call when leaders of opposition parties under the G100 Coalition visited him at his residence in Abuja on Thursday.

The delegation, comprising national chairmen and national secretaries of some political parties, briefed the cardinal on efforts to build a united opposition front and present Nigerians with a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

In a statement issued on Friday and signed on behalf of the coalition by Salihu Lukman, the group said Onaiyekan welcomed the initiative and expressed support for efforts to build unity.

The coalition said it briefed Onaiyekan that it had completed work on three policy documents to guide its cooperation. They are the National Covenant for Democratic Renewal, which outlines the coalition’s principles; the Framework for Opposition Unity, which sets out how the coalition will operate; and the National Reform Programme, which details the policy direction of a government that would emerge from the alliance.

According to the statement, the documents are expected to be finalised and adopted before the coalition’s second summit scheduled for Monday, November 9, 2026, where all participating parties are expected to endorse and unveil them.

Onaiyekan said building a robust opposition was necessary to sustain Nigeria’s democratic traditions and expressed joy that Nigerians would have “real and credible choices to enable citizens to decide their future and leaders next year.”

The delegation included the factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and its National Secretary, Hon. Daniel Woyengikuro, Social Democratic Party National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, Peoples Redemption Party National Chairman, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, and PRP National Secretary, Mr Sunny Kanu. The meeting was facilitated by civil society activist, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim.

Onaiyekan’s latest intervention comes weeks after he warned opposition figures against splitting votes.

Speaking on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast earlier in October, he cautioned that personal ambitions could hand victory to the incumbent by default.

He said, “Five people saying this government is not good, and each one says it’s me who will rule. They don’t know arithmetic.

“If five of you are opposing one man, and you are telling all of us to scatter our votes among you, don’t you know that by simple arithmetic, the status quo will simply win by default?”

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