The National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, has mocked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over a photo showing him apparently asleep during the opposition summit held in Ibadan, Oyo State.........…
Basiru shared the image on his Facebook page on Sunday, captioning it: “And the ... opposition leader slept at the all-important opposition summit…..”
The photo, a screen grab from a live broadcast by Arise News, showed Mr Atiku seated beside Kabiru Turaki, the national chairman of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), during the meeting.
The Ibadan summit is part of ongoing consultations among opposition leaders aimed at forming a stronger alliance ahead of the 2027 polls, as political realignments continue across party lines.
The summit, which took place on Saturday, brought together leaders of opposition political parties who agreed to work towards presenting a single presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Among prominent figures at the meeting were Atiku Abubakar, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
Article quickly drew a flurry of reactions from Facebook users, many of them critical or sarcastic.
A user, Ojewande Taiwo, wrote, “This is the man that wants to rescue Nigeria! It’s better he rescues himself.”
Another commenter, Tunde Obasemola, said, “So shall the election be lost and won while in slumber.”
Some reactions were humorous. Thunderson Adaramola posted laughing emojis, while Deji Omo Akinsola-Fakanlu defended Mr Atiku jokingly, saying he was “just communing with the gods — he was not sleeping.”
Johnson Erayanmen added, “Please have some sleep, sleepless nights na water.”
Meanwhile, In a communiqué issued after the meeting, opposition parties — including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) — announced plans to field a single candidate for the 2027 presidential election to challenge the ruling APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The parties also accused the APC of attempting to steer Nigeria toward a one-party state and called for urgent amendments to the Electoral Act 2026.
They further expressed concerns about the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing alleged bias.
Despite being portrayed as sleeping during the event, former Vice President Atiku struck a unifying tone in his own remarks about the summit.
