Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Senator Seriake Dickson have held another high-level meeting in Abuja, with discussions reportedly focused on Nigeria’s challenges, the concerns of citizens and preparations for the 2027 elections.
The meeting is significant because the three men now sit at the centre of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the platform that has brought together two of the biggest opposition movements from the 2023 election cycle. Obi and Kwankwaso have both moved into the NDC, while Dickson is one of the party’s key leaders.
But the real test for the NDC may not be getting these three politicians into the same room. It is keeping them there.
The opposition has spent years struggling with the same problem: strong personalities and large political followings that do not always translate into one coordinated structure. Obi brings the Obidient movement and significant support in the South, while Kwankwaso commands the Kwankwassiya political network, particularly in northern Nigeria. Their decision to operate under the same platform gives the NDC something opposition parties have often lacked, the possibility of combining different regional political bases.
That possibility, however, creates its own challenge. The party has already had to deal with internal disagreements, including disputes over its official logo and terminology, while questions around its registration and legal status have also created uncertainty. A Federal High Court ruling in June set aside an earlier judgment directing INEC to register the NDC, prompting Obi’s camp to announce plans to appeal.
That means the Abuja meeting is happening at an important moment. Before the NDC can seriously challenge the APC in 2027, it needs to demonstrate that it can manage disagreement without allowing internal battles to consume the party. The same politicians who are capable of attracting millions of supporters also have enough political weight to create serious friction if they disagree over leadership, candidate selection or strategy.
There is also the question of what “unity” actually means. A photograph of Obi, Kwankwaso and Dickson together is politically useful, but Nigerians will eventually want to see how decisions are made. Who gets the presidential ticket? How are other candidates selected? How will the party share power? And can supporters of different political movements accept the outcome if their preferred candidate loses an internal contest?
Those questions will matter more than today’s meeting. The NDC now has something that could make 2027 genuinely competitive: two politicians with established national political followings operating on one platform.
But the next stage is harder. They have to prove that the alliance can survive the politics of ambition. Because defeating an incumbent may require opposition unity, but maintaining that unity may be the hardest campaign of all.
