By Andrew Peter
Opposition parties in Nigeria have intensified efforts to challenge the dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring plans to unite and present a single presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued after a national summit held in Ibadan on Saturday, attended by prominent political figures including Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi and Rauf Aregbesola.
Reading the communiqué, PDP factional chairman, Taminu Turaki, 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 insisted: “Despite the onslaughts and manoeuvrings of the ruling party… we shall field candidates and contest the 2027 Presidential and other elections.”
They further declared: “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 also raised concerns about the electoral body, stating: “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 warned that: “His continuous stay in office is vexatious and capable of triggering widespread crisis in our nation.”
Calling for reforms, the opposition urged: “The National Assembly should immediately review the Electoral Act, 2026 to remove all sections that threaten the sanctity and integrity of the elections.”
On alleged repression, it added: “All leading politicians that are being detained or harassed on bailable offences be released with immediate effect and allowed to exercise their fundamental rights.”
Criticising INEC guidelines, the communiqué stated: “We consider the recent guidelines released by INEC as obstacles… INEC [should] extend the deadline for primaries till the end of July, 2026.”
In his address, Governor Seyi Makinde warned of a shrinking democratic space, stating: “Across Nigeria today, we are witnessing a level of political concentration that should concern all of us…”
He cautioned that democracy “is not destroyed overnight,” but “weakened step by step,” adding that “when opposition becomes ineffective, democracy itself begins to lose meaning.”
Makinde stressed that democracy requires “the existence of real alternatives,” warning that without it, “it will no longer function as one.”
He clarified: “It is not a gang-up against one man… It is about the collective ambition of the Nigerian people to have a democracy properly defined.”
He further warned: “Democracy without opposition is not democracy, it is a slow drift toward a one-party State.”
Political economist Pat Utomi highlighted economic hardship, stating: “I had spent nearly 250,000 naira just to fill my tank.”
He added: “That contrast is not just troubling, it is absurd… something fundamentally broken in our system.”
Utomi stressed: “Leadership without character cannot build a nation. The crisis we face today is not only economic—it is moral.”
ADC National Chairman David Mark described the gathering as “an urgent response to our nation’s call to patriotic duty,” adding: “When the nation cried out to be rescued, we answered.”
He warned: “Insecurity has become a defining feature of daily life… Nigeria faces a historic challenge.”
Mark alleged that “the move towards a one-party state is real,” insisting: “We must be united to salvage our nation.”
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