Leaders of opposition political parties across Nigeria on Saturday converged on Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where they resolved to present a united front by fielding a single presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The resolution formed part of a communiqué issued at the end of the National Opposition Political Parties Summit held at the Banquet Hall of the Oyo State Government House.
The parties, after what they described as “extensive deliberations on the collective threats” facing the country, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of attempting to foist a one-party state on Nigeria, vowing to resist such moves in defence of multi-party democracy.
According to the communique that was read by the factional national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Taminu Turaki SAN stated 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.”
The opposition leaders also declared their intention to contest the 2027 elections despite what they described as “onslaughts and manoeuvrings” by the ruling party to weaken opposition structures.
In a major highlight of the communiqué, the parties rejected the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, alleging bias and partisanship in favour of the APC.
They said, “Having shown bias and partisanship, Nigerians have lost confidence in his capacity to guarantee free, fair, transparent and credible elections. His continuous stay in office is capable of triggering widespread crisis.”
The summit further called on the National Assembly to urgently review the Electoral Act 2026, particularly provisions they claimed threaten the integrity of the electoral process and contradict constitutional principles.
