2027: Utomi-led Group moves to make Atiku, Obi, seven others present one Presidential Candidate
By KEMI KASUMU
According to the statement, the Utomi-led Political Commission will engage the shortlisted candidates and their party leaders ahead of a tactical meeting scheduled to hold in Ibadan in two weeks.
Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, is set to lead consultations with major opposition presidential candidates and their party leaders in a fresh effort to unite the opposition behind a single candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.
The Movement for Credible Elections (MCE), which initiated the process, said the consultations would be conducted behind closed doors and concluded within two weeks, according to a report by The PUNCH.
The candidates expected to participate include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC); Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC); Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM); Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); Sandy Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Peter Agada of the Young Progressives Party (YPP); and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday October 12, 2026 by MCE Media Coordinator, James Ezema.
According to the statement, the Utomi-led Political Commission will engage the shortlisted candidates and their party leaders ahead of a tactical meeting scheduled to hold in Ibadan in two weeks.
MCE explained that the decision to conduct the consultations behind closed doors was intended to protect the negotiations from what it described as “political mercenaries and jobbers” allegedly opposed to the initiative.
The movement said participating candidates and political parties would be required to commit in advance to respecting the outcome of the process and supporting whoever emerges as the coalition’s adopted presidential candidate.
The initiative comes amid growing efforts by opposition figures and groups to establish a common front ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In August, the G100, a coalition of 100 concerned Nigerians, urged opposition leaders to put aside personal ambitions and negotiate an electoral arrangement built around a single presidential candidate, a common programme and a coordinated strategy.
In its document titled Doctrine of a Necessary Democratic Opposition, the group appealed to opposition figures, including Atiku, Obi, Makinde, Bala Mohammed, Seriake Dickson, Rotimi Amaechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Rauf Aregbesola, to prioritise national interest over personal ambition.
The G100 subsequently consulted political parties, including the ADC, APM, NDC, PDP, PRP and SDP, on a possible framework for cooperation ahead of the election.
Other personalities expected to participate in the MCE-led consultations include Maryam Ciroma, Modupe Adelaja, Solomon Dalung, Uche Onyeagocha, Olusegun Mayegun, Sam Amadi, Mike Iginni, Obongawan Barbara Etim James, Olawale Okunniyi and Dr Adum Ter Alex, among others.
MCE urged the stakeholders to approach the negotiations with open minds and place Nigeria’s democratic future above personal and partisan interests.
It said the ultimate objective was to offer Nigerians a “credible people-oriented governance” alternative, rather than merely creating another political arrangement.
The movement acknowledged that achieving opposition unity would require sustained negotiations, personal sacrifices and compromises among the participating candidates and parties.
It added that those seeking to present a credible democratic alternative must be willing to accommodate competing interests and recognise that no individual or political party could independently achieve the objective of a united opposition without cooperation among the various stakeholders.
