Ibadan, Nigeria – Political leaders from multiple opposition parties agreed on Saturday, April 25, 2026, to field a single presidential candidate to challenge Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Okay News reports that opposition figures at the National Summit of Opposition Political Leaders adopted a joint communique named the Ibadan Declaration to formalize their agreement against the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, hosted the event and addressed the concentration of political power under the ruling party. “Democracy without opposition is not democracy, it is a slow drift toward a one-party state,” Makinde said.
The factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Taminu Turaki, described the resolution as a strategic necessity. “A single stick can be broken easily, but a bundle of sticks is far more difficult to break,” Turaki said.
Former President of the Senate of Nigeria, David Mark, addressed the requirements for the upcoming election cycle. “We cannot confront the future as fragmented entities. This is the time to rewrite the story of coalition building in Nigeria,” Mark said.
The summit participants passed a vote of no confidence in the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Joash Amupitan, and called for his removal. The group also urged the National Assembly of Nigeria to review the Electoral Act 2026 and requested an extension of party primary deadlines to the end of July 2026.
Attendees at the summit included former Vice President of Nigeria Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Governor of Kano State Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Governor of Osun State Rauf Aregbesola, former Governor of Rivers State Rotimi Amaechi, political economist Pat Utomi, and elder statesman Jerry Gana.
