Nigeria’s opposition parties are facing mounting pressure and political challenges, forcing them into urgent talks to form a united front ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Thursday, NNPP spokesman Ladipo Johnson said the push for opposition unity is driven by shared political pressures confronting multiple parties.
According to him, “virtually all of us are under attack… we have cases in the courts,” highlighting the legal and political hurdles facing opposition groups.
He explained that these challenges have made collaboration inevitable, noting that “it’s only natural that you try to work together… so that we could present a more formidable force against the incumbent party.”
Johnson stressed that the idea of presenting a single presidential candidate remains central to ongoing discussions among opposition parties.
“We don’t disagree with that… we were there, we participated, and we hope to present a strong opposition,” he said, dismissing claims of internal disagreement over the proposal.
Addressing internal crises within the NNPP, Johnson attributed the party’s challenges to external interference rather than internal weakness.
“Others have infiltrated to then scatter… that is what is happening,” he stated, while expressing confidence that the party would overcome the disruption.
He further outlined a strategy of forming alliances rather than insisting on individual party dominance, saying, “If I do not have to campaign for an NNPP presidential candidate… why not tell my supporters, ‘Let’s vote for this person’?”
Johnson added that efforts are ongoing to develop a framework that will guide the emergence of a consensus candidate acceptable to all parties involved.
“What you need to do now is to prepare a framework agreeable to all the parties,” he said, noting that negotiations are already in progress.
Johnson urged Nigerians to remain patient, insisting that the opposition is working towards a credible alternative, adding that recent political developments have made it clearer that the challenges facing opposition parties are not coincidental but deliberate.
By Ojo Triumph
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