2027 elections: Opposition parties resolve to unite, field single candidate to confront Tinubu

IN a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 elections, opposition parties in the country, on Sat-urday, agreed in principle to team up and field a single candidate to confront President Bola Tinubu, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.

Rising from what the parties described as the Ibadan Declaration after exhaustive deliberations at a one-day summit hosted by the Oyo State governor, Seyi Mak-inde, leaders of opposition parties passed a vote of no confidence in the Chairman, Indepent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, to conduct credible elections, accusing him of open biases towards the ruling APC.

They equally rejected recent electoralguidelines issued by INEC, describing them as deliberate obstacles targeted at weakening opposition parties.

Accordingly, they demanded an extension of the deadline for party primaries till the end of July 2026.
These were among the key highlights contained in their communiqué on the more than three-hour summit with the theme: That we may work Together for A united Opposition to Sustain Our Democracy.

The summit brought together all opposition leaders, political stakeholders, and civil society actors from across the country, amid growing debate over the health of Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and the need for institutional reforms to safeguard it.

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They promised to explore all lawful and legitimate means to fight against the plot allegedly by the governing APC to turn the country into a one-party state. National chairmen of no fewer than 10 political parties, including the African democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the Labour Party (LP), Accord Party (AP) , National Democratic Congress (ADC) endorsed the communiqué at the event attended by other critical stakeholders in the country.

Eminent statesmen and politicians that took turns to speak at the event, held at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, included former presidential aspirant, Professor Jerry Gana; ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; former president of the Senate, Senator David Mark; 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi; Senator Ben Obi; Sena-tor Rabiu Kwankwaso; Chief Ralph Nwosu; Chief Chek-was Okorie; ADC National Secretary, former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tam-buwal, Rauf Aregbesola and former Minister of Transpor-tation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi.

The list of the leaders that graced the occasion also included Dr Usman Bugaje, Dr Kashim Ibrahim Imam, re-knowned economist, Professor Pat Utomi; ex-Secretary to the Government of the Feder-ation, Yayale Ahmed; former Niger State governor, Dr Aliyu Babangida; Solonon Dalung; ex-House of Representatives’ member Nnenna Ukeje; Senator Ireti Kingibe; ex-FERMA chairman, Jide Adeniji; PDP National Chairman, Kabir Tanimu Turaki, SAN, Mr Mike Igini, former Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Chief Odigiye Oyegun; Baba-chir Lawal, among others.

According to the opposition parties, their resolve in principle to present a single presidential candidate for the 2027 elections is a decisive move to “rescue the nation” from what they termed the excesses of the ruling APC.

They said the idea to field one candidate for the elections would be “agreed and supported by all participating opposition parties.”

The parties framed the decision as part of a broader strategy to halt what they alleged was a creeping attempt by the
APC to entrench a one-party state and impose President Bola Tinubu as the sole candidate in the next election cycle.

“The survival of multi-party democracy in Nigeria is under threat,” the communiqué stated, pledging collective resistance against any political manoeuvres capable of undermining democratic plurality.

The parties reaffirmed their commitment to participate fully in the 2027 elections at all levels, including the presidential poll, dismissing any notion of withdrawal or boycott.

The opposition also took a strong position on electoral governance, demanding immediate reforms to the Electoral Act 2026, urging the National Assembly to expunge provisions they claimed could compromise the integrity of the electoral process.

In a more pointed criticism, the opposition called for the removal of INEC chairman on the grounds of partisanship and bias in favour of the ruling APC.

‘Nigerians have lost confidence in INEC’

According to the commu-niqué, Nigerians have “lost confidence” in the INEC leadership, warning that his continued stay in office could “trigger widespread crisis” and undermine the credibility of the 2027 elections.

On civil liberties, the summit condemned what it de scribed as the harassment and detention of opposition figures on bailable offences, calling for their immediate release to ensure inclusive political participation.

The communiqué stressed that democracy could not thrive under conditions where opposition voices are suppressed or intimidated.

The opposition parties commended Nigerians for their resilience amid economic and political challenges, expressing confidence in popular support for what they termed a “national rescue mission.”

They also extended appre ciation to Seyi Makinde and the people of Oyo State for hosting what they described as an “epochal event.”

Part of the communiqué read: “Participating Opposition Parties in Nigeria, after an extensive deliberation on the collective threats that we face and the existential challenges facing our country under the stranglehold of the oppressive and an-ti-democratic All Progressives Congress (APC) and given the need for urgent, collective action to rescue our nation and the destiny of over 200 million compatriots, hereby resolve as follows:

“That 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; “That despite the on-slaughts and manoeuvrings of the ruling party, the APC, to impose President Bola Tinubu as the sole Presidential candidate in 2027, we shall field candidates and contest the
Presidential and other elections.

“That 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.

“That the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, having shown bias and partisanship in favour of the ruling APC, should not conduct the 2027 general election as Nigerians across board have lost confidence in him and his capacity to guarantee the required neutrality to deliver free, fair, transparent and credible elections.

His continuous stay in office is vexatious and capable of trig gering wide spread crisis in our nation.

“That the National Assembly should immediately review the Electoral Act, 2026 to remove all sections that threaten the sanctity and integrity of the elections and run counter to constitutional provisions.

“That all leading politicians that are being detained or harassed on bailable offfences be released with immediate effect and allowed to exercise their fundamental rights of participation and inclusivity as Nigerians.

“That we consider the recent guidelines released by the INEC as obstacles, deliberately engineered to impose conditions and deadlines on the opposition parties. We therefore demand that INEC extends the deadline for primaries till the end of July, 2026.

“The summit commends Nigerians for their resilience and readiness to work with Opposition Parties to free our nation from State capture.

“The National summit of Opposition Political Parties thanks the Oyo State governor Engr. Seyi Makinde and the people of Oyo State for hosting the epochal event.”

Makinde raises fresh concerns over future of democracy in Nigeria

Governor Makinde, at the summit, raised fresh concerns over the future of Nigeria’s democracy, warning that the nation risked a gradual slide into a one-party state if opposition politics continued to weaken.

He noted that recent political developments across the country point to a troubling concentration of power that could erode democratic competition.

Makinde noted that a growing number of state governments are now aligned under a single political party, alongside what he described as “open efforts” to consolidate legislative dominance.

At the same time, he observed that opposition parties are increasingly mired in internal crises and legal disputes, raising doubts about their effectiveness.

“Taken together, they point to a pattern where the space for real political competition is disappearing,” he said,
cautioning that democracy is rarely destroyed abruptly but rather weakened incrementally until citizens lose confidence in it.

The Oyo State govemor stressed that democracy cannot be defined by the dominance or success of one party, but by the presence of credible alteratives that give citizens meaningful choices.

“Once that disappears, what we have may still be called democracy, but it will no longer function as one,” he warned.
Makinde also underscored the historical significance of Ibadan as a venue for such a dialogue, recalling its role in hosting critical constitutional discussions in 1950 that helped shape Nigeria’s political structure. He said the current gathering carries a similar responsibility to protect and redefine democratic values.

Clarifying the intent of the summit, the governor dismissed suggestions that the meeting was aimed at targeting any individual or advancing personal political ambi-tions. Instead, he described it as a collective effort to preserve Nigeria’s democratic system.

“This is not a gang-up against one man. It is also not about the individual ambition of individuals to be president.
Rather, it is about the collective ambition of the Nigerian people to have a democracy properly defined,” he said.

He warned that democracy without a strong opposition is inherently fragile, describing it as “a slow drift toward a one-party state,” a trajectory he insisted Nigeria must avoid.

According to him, the existence of a credible opposition is not a threat to governance but a fundamental pillar that sustains accountability and openness in any democratic system.

Makinde called on political actors across party lines to rise above fragmentation and disengagement, urging them to confront the current challenges with honesty and a shared sense of national re-sponsibility.

“This is not a moment for silence. Nigeria has come too far to pretend that this does not matter,” he said.

National institutions captured by Tinubu-led administration -Turaki

Addressing the gathering, factional national chairman of PDP, Kabiru Turaki, said all stakeholders, especially the opposition parties must team up to bring about change through the next general election because the APC administration had failed

In his address entitled: May this moment never pass us, Turaki noted: “We are at the cusp of history-the political stage is set, the dramatis personae are all ready, and time is passing by very quickly. But one thing is pending, which the world earnestly awaits, our action. This is so important that even our inaction or refusal to act will be interpreted and recorded for us by history as an action.

“Never in our democratic history have we faced the asphyxiation of the opposition as we are currently witnessing, and never have we danced so carelessly on the brink of becoming a one-party state.

“The current embattled condition of the opposition in our country is the result of state-engineered crises tactically deployed to any political party with the prospect of putting up a challenge to the lackluster-performance
of APC-led Federal Government.

“We are gathered today with personal evidence of this onslaught. We are not speaking from hearsay or guess-work, but from concrete lived experience, where renegade party members have been stupendously empowered to create problems within the party and ultimately sue the party, leaving it vulnerable.

“National institutions that were created as guardrails on the express lane of electoral democracy have all been captured by this administra-tion, sending the nation very close to the destination of self-help.

“Today, the perception of these critical institutions is at its lowest ebb-a point of almost no recovery. The trust deficit has not only increased but has reached historic levels. Dear friends, there is an urgent need for action. This moment calls for deliberate action in defence of democ-racy; action in defence of our citizenship; action in defence of principle and honour.

“Yes, this moment demands our collective action, which makes this national summit most important and apt. We must deploy knowl-edge, tact, and strategy to undertake the onerous but doable task of dislodging the APC government in the interest of the survival of democracy and the emancipation of our citizens.

“I am sure that by now, all of us have reached a consensus ad idem on the need to act, and expeditiously too.”

Nigerians are hungry, patience means little to them -Utomi

In his contribution, Professor Utomi lamented the deplorable state of the economy, coupled with the attendant deplorable living condition of Nigerians, due to inadequacies of the present federal administration.

“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.

“When we look back at our history, we see that things were not always this way. In the years leading up to inde-pendence, Nigeria was not industrialised, but there was a clear vision. Leaders at the time understood that development required building industries and creating jobs. Within a few years, manufacturing began to grow significantly. There was direction, there was purpose,” he stated.

“We need leadership with character. We need policies that reflect our re-alities, not borrowed solutions that do not fit our context. We need to invest in our people, empower our youth, and unlock the potential in every part of this country.

“Above all, we must listen to the voices of the people. Real development is not about abstract statistics —it is about improving the daily lives of Nigerians.

“The situation we face is serious, but it is not hope-less. With the right leader-ship, the right values, and a shared commitment to progress, we can rebuild this nation and create a future that works for all.”

Our mission to rescue Nigeria is a task that must be done -Mark

ADC National Chairman, Senator Mark, said the summit was an urgent response to the nation’s call to patriotic duty, stating that his prayer is that history will remember us, that when the nation cried out to be rescued, we an-swered.”

He emphasised that the call to rescue Nigeria is not a mere opposition slogan, as the “evidence is there, for all of us to see, because “across the length and breadth of our country, insecurity has become a defining feature of daily life.

“From the avoidable protracted insurgency and terrorism, to the relentless banditry and mass kidnappings, to
the steady rise of violent crimes in our urban cen-tres, Nigeria faces a historic challenge.”

He accused the gov-ernment, whose primary duty it is to protect the citizens, of carrying on with a shocking indifference in the face of insecurity.

“The essence of democracy is to provide the people with a choice. When one government fails, like this government has woefully done, the Constitution of our land grants the people the power to vote that government out.

“However, with what we have witnessed in recent times, the ruling party has done everything to deny the people of Nigeria this very right to seek an alternative.

“In the last three years, this government has launched major attacks on the opposition parties, all in a bid to deny the people the right to choose. They want to foist a one-party state on Nigeria. Institutions that should safeguard our freedom and protect the will of the people are increasingly under assault. The right of citizens to freely choose
their leaders is being undermined.

The independence of democratic institutions is being compromised. In fact, it is becoming increasingly difficult to describe what we have today as a fully functioning democracy in both form and substance.

“Our mission to rescue Nigeria is a task that must be done.

When we, as members of the opposition, say that our singular objective is to rescue Ni-geria, we are neither exaggerating nor engaging in political theatrics.

“The task before us is nothing short of a national rescue mission. It is a mission born out of necessity, compelled by the suffering of our people, and driven by the urgency of the moment.

“I must emphasise therefore, that this responsibility is far more important than partisan sentiment, personal interest or personal ambition. What is at stake; the very survival and restoration of our country, is greater than every single one of us.

“It involves sacrifice by every member in the op-position. I have no doubt in my mind, that no single opposition political party, no matter how strong can confront a system so entrenched and so determined to retain power at all costs,” Mark said.

“What we are faced with is a regime that has shown, in both words and in deeds, a willingness to weaken democratic
structures and suppress opposition voices.

Let’s not make a mistake about this.

“The move towards a one-party state is real. It has never happened before in this country, and it will not happen in our generation.

“The government has argued that it is not their duty to help build the opposition. They are right.
And we seek no such fa-vour from them. They call what they are doing to opposition political parties’ strategy. I call it tyranny.

“But is it their duty to destroy the opposition as they have brazenly attempted to do? Can one do what they have been doing and still claim to believe in democracy, or to be a democrat?

The answer is certainly NO

“We must not be in doubts. The forces that have sought to destabilise our various political parties will not stop.

Even as we gather here, they are already scheming how to further undermine us and divide our ranks and sow seeds of discord among us. But we on our path must remember where the rains began to beat us. We must remember how we got to where we are today. We must remember what has brought us here. We must remain clear that we cannot confront the future as fragmented entities.

We must be united to salvage our nation. It is for these reasons that this gathering and our dealings must be anchored on honesty and integrity.

We must put all our cards faced up on the table and speak truthfully to one another. There must be no hidden agendas, no last-minute surprises, and no room for distrust. Perhaps, more than anything else, the success of our collective effort depends on our ability to build and sustain trust.

“We are racing against time, and operating within a limited window. The urgency of our situation does not permit repeated mistakes. We must be willing to rise above narrow sentiments and reject petty parochialism that has historically divided the oppositions in this country. This is the time to rewrite the story of coalition building in Nigeria.

According to Mark, the struggle before the opposition parties is no longer a conventional political contest, but a contest between the ruling party APC, and the Nigerian people.

He said the recent changes within the economic management team are themselves a tacit admission of failure because when a system is functioning ef-fectively, no one replaces leadership, adding that reshuffling cabinet at this late hour could not save the government 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.

“We did not collapse under the temptation of petty partisanship or self-satisfy-ing ambitions. Instead, we chose unity over division, sacrifice over self, and country above all.
“let this summit go down in history as the moment when everything changed.

Let this be the beginning of a decisive movement, a movement that will restore the dignity of our democ-racy, secure the lives of our people, and rebuild the foundations of our nation.”