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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Fourteen opposition political parties in Nigeria have resolved to field a single consensus presidential candidate to confront President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
The resolution was reached at the end of a national summit held yesterday at the Banquet Hall of Agodi Government House, Ibadan, Oyo State, which probably signalled the birth of a mega-coalition.
The hall had in attendance the who-is-who of Nigerian politics, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. The host was Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde.
The pact was sealed by a diverse bloc of parties, ranging from established giants to ideological stalwarts. The participating parties included the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Young Progressives Party (YPP).
The Accord (A), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Alliance (AA), Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), were also on the list.
Former governors Peter Obi (Anambra), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), and Rotimi Ameachi (Rivers), joined former Senate President and National Chairman of ADC, David Mark, as well as National Secretary and former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, and former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Lalung, at the Banquet Hall after putting aside years of rivalry for what they termed a national rescue mission.
Others in attendance included Prof Jerry Gana, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, Prof Pat Utomi, and former SGF, Yayale Ahmed, Dr Kabir Adamu, Hajia Aisha Yesufu, Mrs Onikepo Oshodi, Chief Sunday Solarin, Chief Yemi Soluade, Barrister Silas Onu, Engineer Jide Adeniyi, Senator Victor Umeh, Chief Ben Obi, Chief Ralph Nwosu, Ex-Rep Nnenna Ukeje, Senator Ireti Kingibe, Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, Kenneth Okonkwo, Ralph Nwosu, Engr Hamid Gbadamosi, Alhaja Mutiat Ladoja, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, Dr Saka Balogun, Hon Stanley Adedeji Olajide, Debo Ogundoyin, Alh Buba Galadinma, Senator Ben Obi, Aisha Yesufu, and Mike Igini among other dignitaries.
Reading the nine-point communiqué, dubbed ‘ Ibadan Declaration’, on behalf of all participating opposition parties, Taminu Turaki (SAN), National Chairman of the PDP, declared that the move was an existential necessity to rescue Nigeria from the stranglehold of the APC.
The opposition bloc made it clear that its primary objective is to prevent the emergence of a one-party state.
Despite what they described as APC’s manoeuvres to position President Bola Tinubu as a sole presidential candidate for 2027, the coalition vowed to fight back through a unified 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 stated.
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The summit also launched a scathing attack on the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It passed a vote of no confidence in the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, accusing him of blatant partisanship toward the ruling party.
The declaration warned that Amupitan’s continued stay in office was vexatious and could trigger a national crisis. The summit demanded that Amupitan be replaced by a neutral figure to guarantee a credible process.
The Ibadan Declaration outlined several critical demands aimed at levelling the playing field. The National Assembly was urged to immediately strip the Electoral Act 2026 of clauses that allegedly threatened the sanctity of elections.
The parties slammed recent INEC guidelines as engineered obstacles and demanded that the deadline for party primaries be extended to the end of July 2026.
The communiqué called for the immediate release of leading politicians currently being allegedly harassed or detained on bailable offences, framing their detention as a violation of fundamental rights.
The opposition leaders commended the resilience of Nigerians in the face of what they termed state capture. They expressed a renewed commitment to multiparty democracy and swore to resist any machinations intended to stifle political competition.
The host governor, Seyi Makinde, earlier in his welcome address, warned that Nigeria was witnessing a slow drift toward autocracy.
“Democracy is not a one-party show,” Makinde told the cheering crowd. Once the ability of citizens to choose between real alternatives disappears, democracy becomes a mere name.
“This is not a gang-up against one man; it is a shield for the survival of a system that allows Nigeria to remain open and accountable,” Makinde stated.
In his goodwill message, ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, criticised the APC’s recent cabinet reshuffle by President Tinubu as a silent confession of incompetence.
“Recent changes within the economic management team are themselves a tacit admission of failure. When a system is functioning effectively, you do not replace leadership. Reshuffling the cabinet at this late hour cannot save them from the verdict of the people.
“Leaders of our parties, let it be said loud and clear that at a defining moment in our history, when Nigeria stood at the edge of uncertainty, we did not falter. We did not allow personal ambition to override the desire of Nigerians for a better life,’” Mark stated.
He also argued that the move to turn Nigeria into a one-party country was real but vowed that it would not happen, describing the 2027 general elections as a contest between the APC and the people of Nigeria.
