ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Opposition leaders across Nigeria have resolved to present a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring plans to field a single presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
The decision was reached at a high-level national summit in Ibadan on Saturday, attended by key political figures including Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi and Rauf Aregbesola, who converged to strategise ahead of the polls.
Reading the communiqué, factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, 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 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.”
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The parties further signalled their intention to rally behind a consensus candidate, 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.”
They also raised concerns about the electoral umpire, insisting: “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.”
On electoral reforms, the opposition urged urgent legislative action, saying: “The National Assembly should 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, stating: “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.”
Criticising recent electoral guidelines, the parties said: “We consider the recent guidelines released by INEC as obstacles, deliberately engineered to impose conditions and deadlines on the opposition parties,” adding that INEC should extend the deadline for primaries till the end of July 2026.
Earlier, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, warned that Nigeria’s democracy was under gradual threat due to growing political concentration.
He said: “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.”
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Makinde cautioned that democracy erosion is often gradual, noting:
“Democracy is not destroyed overnight,” but “weakened step by step,” stressing that “when opposition becomes ineffective, democracy itself begins to lose meaning.”
He emphasised: “Democracy must be defined by the existence of real alternatives what we have may still be called democracy, but it will no longer function as one.”
Highlighting the significance of Ibadan, he added: “Ibadan has always served as the political capital of southwest Nigeria this gathering carries that same responsibility.”
Clarifying the purpose of the summit, Makinde said: “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.”
He warned further: “Democracy without opposition is not democracy, it is a slow drift toward a one-party State. And Nigeria must not make that drift.”
Also speaking, political economist Pat Utomi painted a grim picture of the nation’s economic reality.
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 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. If that doesn’t reveal something fundamentally broken in our system, then nothing will.”
Utomi 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.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s past, he said: “In the years leading up to independence, Nigeria was not industrialised, but there was a clear vision there was direction, there was purpose.”
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He stressed that the nation’s crisis is both economic and moral: “Leadership without character cannot build a nation. The crisis we face today is not only economic, it is moral.”
Utomi further noted: “Every region has resources, talent, and potential. Yet we have become overly dependent on oil, neglecting other sectors and weakening our economic foundation.”
Calling for reform, he said: “We need leadership with character. We need policies that reflect our realities, not borrowed solutions that do not fit our context.”
He added optimistically: “The situation we face is serious, but it is not hopeless we can rebuild this nation and create a future that works for all.”
In his remarks, former Senate President and ADC National Chairman, David Mark, described the summit as a defining national moment.
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.”
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.”
Providing statistics, he added: “In 2025 alone, Nigeria recorded more than 12,000 conflict-related deaths at least 15 Nigerians are killed daily, while about 19 people are abducted.”
He criticised the government, 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 focusing on “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.”
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He stressed the need for unity: “No single opposition political party can confront a system so entrenched. We must be united to salvage our nation.”
Mark further alleged institutional bias, stating: “The move towards a one-party state is real, institutions that should safeguard our freedom, are increasingly under assault.”
Declaring the stakes, he said: “This contest is between the ruling party APC, and the Nigerian people, we are on the side of the people.”
He questioned the credibility of the electoral body, adding: “When the referee clearly and proudly wears the jersey of one of the teams, then the legitimacy of the entire process is undermined.”
Mark concluded with a call for sacrifice and unity: “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.”