As part of their renewed determination to wrestle power from President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), the major opposition parties, at a historic national summit held yesterday in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, announced plans to field one presidential candidate in the 2027 general election.
The opposition parties made the declaration in a communiqué issued at the end of the summit, where key opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, ex-governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, and ex-governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, among others, met to chart a common strategy.
While demanding the resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, the opposition parties also urged the commission to extend the deadline for the party primaries till the end of July 2026.
In a communique issued at the end of the summit with the theme: “Safeguarding Nigeria’s Democracy: A National Dialogue”, which was read by the factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Taminu Turaki, the parties vowed to “resist all machinations by the APC to foist a one-party state on Nigeria and fight for the survival of multi-party democracy in our country.”
On the 2027 elections, the opposition parties revealed plans for a united ticket, declaring, “We shall work towards fielding one presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, which shall be agreed and supported by all participating opposition parties to rescue our nation and her long-suffering masses.”
Raising concerns about INEC, the communiqué stated that the chairman of the commission, Prof. Amupitan, should not conduct the 2027 general election, “having shown bias and partisanship in favour of the ruling APC.”
The communique further warned, “His continuous stay in office is vexatious and capable of triggering widespread crisis in our nation.”
Addressing electoral reforms, the opposition parties urged the Senate and the House of Representatives to immediately review the Electoral Act, 2026, “to remove all sections that threaten the sanctity and integrity of the elections.”
The communiqué also addressed alleged political repression, insisting that “all leading politicians that are being detained or harassed on bailable offences be released with immediate effect and allowed to exercise their fundamental rights of participation and inclusivity as Nigerians.”
Ask Electoral Umpire to Extend Deadline for Party Primaries to End of July
While criticising recent electoral guidelines, the opposition parties asked INEC to extend the deadline for party primaries to the end of July 2026.
The communique said: “We consider the recent guidelines released by INEC as obstacles, deliberately engineered to impose conditions and deadlines on the opposition parties,” adding, “INEC should extend the deadline for primaries till the end of July 2026.”
Also addressing the summit, the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Senate President, Senator David Mark, described the gathering as a critical moment in Nigeria’s history, and “an urgent response to our nation’s call to patriotic duty.”
He said, “My prayer is that history will remember us, that when the nation cried out to be rescued, we answered. When children went to bed hungry, we answered, when proud, hardworking citizens were turned to beggars; we answered.”
While raising alarm over insecurity, Mark stated, “Across the length and breadth of our country, insecurity has become a defining feature of daily life. Nigeria faces a historic challenge.”
Citing grim statistics, he added, “In 2025 alone, Nigeria recorded more than 12,000 conflict-related deaths. Nigeria is now ranked 4th in the global terrorism index. At least 15 Nigerians are killed daily, while about 19 people are abducted.”
He criticised the government’s response, saying: “We are a nation that is constantly in mourning, yet the APC-led government is behaving as if all is well,” accusing it of being “preoccupied with election matters and politics of self-succession.”
On democracy, Mark warned: “The essence of democracy is to provide the people with a choice. However, the ruling party has done everything to deny the people of Nigeria this very right to seek an alternative.”
Questioning the credibility of INEC, he said: “When the referee clearly and proudly wears the jersey of one of the teams, then the legitimacy of the entire process is undermined,” adding that Nigerians had lost confidence in the commission.
In his remarks, the host governor, Seyi Makinde, warned that Nigeria’s democracy was facing a gradual erosion due to the weakening of opposition parties.
He stated, “Across Nigeria today, we are witnessing a level of political concentration that should concern all of us. Taken together, they point to a pattern where the space for real political competition is disappearing.”
He cautioned that democracy “is not destroyed overnight,” but “weakened step by step,” stressing that “when opposition becomes ineffective, democracy itself begins to lose meaning.”
Makinde drew attention to the “Operation Wetie” violence that rocked the South-west in the mid-1960s to caution against one-party domination in the country.
He emphasised that democracy must be defined by “the existence of real alternatives” and warned that without this, “what we have may still be called democracy, but it will no longer function as one.”
The governor warned, “For those that are carrying on as if there’s no tomorrow, they should remember that ‘operation wetie’ started from here. This is the same Wild Wild West.
“Back in 1950, this city hosted a conversation that helped shape Nigeria’s constitutional future. Those discussions were not perfect, but necessary. They were driven by a recognition that the structure of the nation was a deliberately built, protected, and well-necessary debated. In many ways, this gathering carries the same responsibility.
“There are open efforts to consolidate legislative control under one party. At the same time, opposition parties are increasingly entangled in internal crises and legal battles, raising serious questions about their ability to function effectively.
“This is not something that we should treat lightly. I don’t want to think saboteurs are here. Because democracy is not destroyed overnight, it is weakened step by step until people begin to feel it no longer works for them,” he said.
“When opposition becomes ineffective, democracy itself loses meaning. Democracy is not defined by the success of one party; it is defined by the existence of real alternatives. By the ability of citizens to choose.”
The governor clarified the intent of the summit, saying, “It is not a gang-up against one man, and it is not about individual ambitions to be president. It is about the collective ambition of the Nigerian people to have a democracy properly defined.”
Makinde, however, warned that “Democracy without opposition is not democracy; it is a slow drift toward a one-party State. And Nigeria must not make that drift,” urging stakeholders to “think clearly, speak honestly, and act with a sense of responsibility that goes beyond party lines.”
The renowned political economist and strategist, Prof. Pat Utomi, in his intervention, painted a stark picture of the country’s economic hardship, using a personal experience to illustrate the widening gap between living costs and citizens’ income.
He said, “Let me begin with a simple experience from yesterday. I set out to buy fuel, and by the time I was done, I had spent nearly N250,000 just to fill my tank.
“At the same time, I came across a report showing that a large percentage of Nigerians live on less than N100,000 a month. That contrast is not just troubling; it is absurd. If that doesn’t reveal something fundamentally broken in our system, then nothing will.”
Utomi noted that the crisis extended beyond fuel prices, stressing, “Food prices are rising, insecurity continues to disrupt agriculture, and ordinary people are struggling to survive.”
“Yet we are often told to ‘be patient,’ that things will improve with time. But patience means very little to those who are hungry today.”
Others at the summit include former governors – Senator Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto State), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun State), Babangida Aliyu (Niger State), Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara State), former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, and social activist, Aisha Yesufu.
Former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Prof. Jerry Gana, and Dr. Kashim Ibrahim Imam, were the co-chairmen of the organising committee for the national summit.
