Leaders of major opposition parties in Nigeria have agreed to field a single presidential candidate to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
The decision was reached at a national summit held in Ibadan, attended by prominent figures such as Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi and Rauf Aregbesola.
Reading the communiqué, Tanimu Turaki, factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said: “We shall 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 dismissed claims of a predetermined outcome, stating: “Despite the onslaughts and manoeuvrings of the ruling party… we shall field candidates and contest the 2027 Presidential and other elections.”
They also signalled plans for a joint ticket: “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.”
The communiqué raised concerns about the electoral body, calling on the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Ojo Amupitan, to step aside.
It stated: “The INEC Chairman, Joash Ojo Amupitan, having shown bias and partisanship in favour of the ruling APC, should not conduct the 2027 general elections.”
It added: “His continuous stay in office is vexatious and capable of triggering widespread crisis in our nation.”
The opposition also urged the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act, 2026, saying: “The National Assembly should immediately review the Electoral Act, 2026 to remove all sections that threaten the sanctity and integrity of the elections.”
On political repression, the parties said: “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.”
They further criticised recent electoral guidelines: “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.”
Host governor Seyi Makinde warned that Nigeria’s democracy is gradually eroding, stating: “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 added: “Democracy is not destroyed overnight,” but “weakened step by step,” stressing that “when opposition becomes ineffective, democracy itself begins to lose meaning.”
Makinde clarified the intent of the summit: “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.”
Political economist Pat Utomi highlighted economic hardship, saying: “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 250,000 naira 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 100,000 naira a month. That contrast is not just troubling, it is absurd.”
He added: “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.”
Utomi stressed that Nigeria’s crisis is also moral: “Leadership without character cannot build a nation. The crisis we face today is not only economic—it is moral.”
Also speaking, David Mark, national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), described the summit as “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.”
Raising concerns about insecurity, Mark added: “Across the length and breadth of our country, insecurity has become a defining feature of daily life. Nigeria faces a historic challenge.”
He criticised the government, stating: “We are a nation that is constantly in mourning, yet the APC-led government is behaving as if all is well.”
On democracy, he 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.”
Mark emphasised unity among opposition parties: “No single opposition political party, can confront a system so entrenched. We must be united to salvage our nation.”
He concluded: “Let this summit go down in history as the moment when everything changed, we chose unity over division, sacrifice over self, and country above all.”
