Salihu Lukman: Talks on umbrella party for coalition against APC almost concluded

Salihu Lukman, a former vice-chair of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the north-west, says negotiations on the political party for members of a new coalition are almost done. 

Speaking on Thursday, at a press conference on the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers state, Atiku Abubakar had said he and other opposition politicians will form a coalition to wrest power from the APC in 2027.

In a statement on Monday, Lukman said Abubakar’s announcement stirred a lot of interest and nationwide debates.

He said while nothing has been finalised, consultations are at an advanced stage.

The politician added that once a conclusion has been reached, a formal announcement will be made with all the details regarding composition of membership, programme of action, and the framework for contesting the 2027 elections.

“At this stage of negotiations, the main focus is around getting leaders to agree to work together and substantially there is strong recognition that prospective members should set aside personal ambitions to contest the 2027 elections,” the statement reads.

“The second issue being negotiated is the political party that will be the platform for the 2027 electoral contest.

“These two issues are carefully being negotiated. While acknowledging that with respect to the requirement for members to set aside personal ambitions, there are strong interests being expressed around issues of zoning by individual leaders, these issues are yet to be formally discussed at any consultation meeting.

“The speculation therefore by some media analysts about disagreements stalemating the coalition negotiation is not true.

“The consensus among leaders is that the final decision about processes of candidates’ selection can only be handled and determined when there is agreement regarding the political party on whose platform the coalition will field candidates.”

Lukman said negotiating the political party is the “most difficult challenge”, adding that it is an area that many members of the coalition have been engaging in different ways for more than a year.

He said many groups, including some members of the coalition who have filed applications to register political parties, have been frustrated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“To make matters worse, many of the existing registered parties who did not meet the electoral threshold of winning any seat in the last general elections face the threat of de-registration,” he added.

“Given this unpleasant reality, members of the coalition opened negotiations with some of the existing parties that have met the electoral threshold.

“Interestingly, somehow, some of the prospective parties being negotiated are being remotely pushed into crises mode in the same way PDP, Labour Party and NNPP have been entangled with existential problems.

“It is almost a clear case of destroying the legal basis for any party to qualify to field candidates for 2027 other than the ruling APC.

“We must appeal to all patriotic Nigerians to recognise the urgency of the situation facing the country. We don’t have the luxury of waiting until we get to 2027 only to discover that Nigerians have been smouldered into a legal knock out.”