Opposition political parties have resolved to unite behind one presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general election.
The decision was reached on Saturday during a national summit attended by leaders of opposition parties in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The decision, themed the ‘Ibadan Declaration’, was the central focus of a high-stakes national summit of opposition political parties.
The opposition political parties which participated in the summit included the PDP, ADC, PRP, NNPP, NDC, LP, APP, Accord, APM, AA, DLA, YP, ADP, and ZLP.
While reading the communiqué on behalf of the participating chairmen, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Taminu Turaki (SAN), 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 stop the emergence of a one-party state.
“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.
They also attacked the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It outrightly passed a vote of no confidence in the INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, accusing him of partisanship toward the ruling party.
The declaration warned that Amupitan’s continued stay in office is vexatious and could trigger a national crisis.
The summit demanded that Amupitan be replaced by a neutral figure to guarantee a credible process.
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 summit also appreciated the host, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, whose state served as the backdrop for what many delegates described as an epochal event in the journey toward the 2027 polls.
