A former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress for the North-West, Dr. Salihu Lukman, has confirmed that negotiations for a political coalition to challenge the ruling party, APC, have reached an advanced stage, but are yet to be finalized.
Recall that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had confirmed last week that efforts to form a political coalition to contest against the APC were underway. However, Lukman, in a statement issued on Monday, dismissed speculations by some media analysts claiming that disagreements have stalled the coalition negotiations.
Lukman explained that the consensus among leaders involved in the coalition discussions is that the final decision on candidate selection processes can only be determined once there is an agreement on which political party will serve as the platform for the coalition’s candidates.
“To set the records straight, it is important to state that negotiations are ongoing and nothing has been finalised. Once concluded, a formal announcement will be made with all the details regarding the composition of membership, programme of action towards 2027, framework for contesting the 2027 elections, etc.,” Lukman stated.
He further revealed that consultations are in the advanced stages, with efforts focused on reaching out to prospective members of the coalition and outlining key issues for agreement among the coalition’s members.
“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,” Lukman added.
He highlighted that one of the key issues being negotiated is the political party that will serve as 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,” Lukman added.
