*Demand INEC Chairman’s Removal And Extension Of Primaries Deadline To July
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Leaders of Nigeria’s major opposition political parties have agreed to field a single presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, demanded the removal of INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan for alleged bias, called for the immediate release of all detained politicians on bailable offences, and urged the National Assembly to review the Electoral Act 2026 to remove provisions they say threaten the integrity of elections, in a communiqué issued at the conclusion of a historic National Opposition Summit held at the Banquet Hall of the Oyo State Government House in Ibadan on Saturday.
The summit, hosted by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and themed “That We May Work Together for a United Opposition to Sustain Our Democracy,” brought together the most significant gathering of opposition figures since the return of democracy, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, ADC National Chairman and former Senate President David Mark, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, political economist Pat Utomi, former Information Minister Jerry Gana, former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, and activist Aisha Yesufu, among others.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who had been billed to chair the event, did not attend.
The Communiqué
Reading the communiqué on behalf of all participating parties, the factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, announced the key resolutions.
On unity of candidacy, the opposition declared: “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.”
On contesting the elections, the parties dismissed any notion that the outcome was predetermined: “Despite the onslaughts and manoeuvrings of the ruling party, the APC, to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerges as the sole presidential candidate in 2027, we shall field candidates and contest the 2027 presidential and other elections.”
On resistance to one-party rule: “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 INEC Chairman, the communiqué was unsparing: “The INEC Chairman, Joash Ojo Amupitan, having shown bias and open partisanship in favour of the ruling APC, should not conduct the 2027 general elections. Nigerians across the board have lost confidence in him and his capacity to guarantee the required neutrality to deliver a free, fair, transparent, and credible election. His continuous stay in office is vexatious and capable of triggering widespread crisis in our nation.”
On electoral reform: “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.”
On detained politicians: “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.”
On INEC’s guidelines and deadlines: “We consider the recent guidelines released by INEC as obstacles, deliberately engineered to impose conditions and deadlines on the opposition parties. We therefore demand that INEC extend the deadline for primaries till the end of July 2026.”
Makinde: “Remember Operation Wetie”
Governor Makinde’s address set the tone for the summit with a historically charged warning about the consequences of political domination.
He invoked the memory of “Operation Wetie,” the wave of political violence that engulfed the Western Region in the mid-1960s following disputed elections alleged to have been rigged in favour of the ruling faction. The term, meaning “wet it” in Yoruba, described the practice of dousing political opponents, their homes, and vehicles with petrol and setting them ablaze.
“For those that are carrying on as if there’s no tomorrow, they should remember that Operation Wetie started from here. This is the same Wild Wild West,” Makinde warned.
He described the summit venue as historically significant. “Back in 1950, this city hosted a conversation that helped shape Nigeria’s constitutional future. In many ways, this gathering carries the same responsibility.”
On the shrinking democratic space, Makinde stated: “Across Nigeria today, we are witnessing a level of political concentration that should concern all of us. There are open efforts to consolidate legislative control under one party. At the same time, opposition parties are increasingly entangled in internal crises and legal battles that raise serious questions about their ability to function effectively.”
“Taken together, they point to a pattern where the space for real political competition is disappearing. Democracy is not destroyed overnight. It is weakened step by step until people begin to feel it no longer works for them,” the governor warned.
He rejected suggestions that the summit was targeted at any individual: “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.”
“Democracy without opposition is not democracy. It is a slow drift toward a one-party state. And Nigeria must not make that drift,” Makinde declared.
Mark: “When The Referee Wears One Team’s Jersey”
David Mark delivered one of the summit’s most forceful addresses, accusing the APC-led administration of systematically weakening democratic institutions.
“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,” Mark stated.
“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. It is becoming increasingly difficult to describe what we have today as a fully functioning democracy in both form and substance,” the ADC chairman said.
On the electoral umpire, Mark used a sporting metaphor that resonated with the audience: “When the referee clearly and proudly wears the jersey of one of the teams in a match he should be officiating, then the legitimacy of the entire process is undermined. INEC is no longer an impartial umpire. And if nothing changes, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan is about to preside over the most distrusted election in Nigerian history.”
He cited grim security statistics: “In 2025 alone, Nigeria recorded more than 12,000 conflict-related deaths. Nigeria is now ranked 4th in the global terrorism index. At least 15 Nigerians are killed daily, while about 19 people are abducted.”
Mark called for unity over personal ambition: “Let it be said loud and clear that at a defining moment in our history, we did not falter. We did not allow personal ambition to override the desire of Nigerians for a better life. We chose unity over division, sacrifice over self, and country above all.”
Utomi: “N250,000 To Fill A Tank”
Political economist Pat Utomi provided the summit’s most vivid illustration of Nigeria’s economic crisis.
“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,” Utomi stated.
“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,” he added.
Utomi argued the crisis was both economic and moral: “Leadership without character cannot build a nation. The crisis we face today is not only economic, it is moral.”
He expressed cautious optimism: “The situation we face is serious, but it is not hopeless. With the right leadership, the right values, and a shared commitment to progress, we can rebuild this nation and create a future that works for all.”
Atiku: “An Obligation We Owe Nigeria”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in a statement posted on his Facebook page, described the summit as a defining moment.
“At today’s National Opposition Summit in Ibadan, we spoke with one voice, fearless and unmistakable: the time has come to forge a united opposition, bound by purpose and driven by the sacred duty to defend and sustain our democracy. This is not a choice; it is an obligation we owe to Nigeria and to generations yet unborn,” Atiku stated.
Hayatu-Deen: “This Is About National Rescue”
ADC presidential aspirant Mohammed Hayatu-Deen warned that continued fragmentation could undermine the opposition’s ability to present a credible alternative.
“Nigeria is at a defining moment. The deepening insecurity, the crushing cost of living and the steady erosion of democratic space demand a collective response. This is not about personal ambition, it is about national rescue,” Hayatu-Deen stated.
He urged political actors to demonstrate “real sacrifice, collaboration and shared national purpose” rather than mere statements of intent.
APC Accused Of Disruption Plot
ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi accused the ruling party of plotting to disrupt the summit.
“We have uncovered plans by the ruling APC to disrupt the summit being held by the opposition parties in Ibadan today. After denying us the use of venues in Abuja, they now will not leave us alone to hold our meetings,” Abdullahi stated.
“They say they are not scared, but they are behaving like people who are terrified. But we will not be deterred, because we are on the side of the Nigerian people,” he added.
The summit brought together leaders from the ADC, PDP, NNPP, Labour Party, and other political groups, representing the broadest coalition of opposition figures assembled in recent Nigerian political history.
Among those present were Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amaechi, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Pat Utomi, Jerry Gana, Aisha Yesufu, Aminu Tambuwal, Babangida Aliyu, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Yunusa Tanko, and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
Speakers at the summit included Chidi Odinkalu and Usman Bugaje on democratic governance, Mike Igini on credible elections, Pat Utomi on economic reforms, and Kabir Adamu on security challenges.
The opposition’s declaration of intent to field a single presidential candidate faces enormous practical challenges.
The participating parties, the ADC, PDP, NNPP, and Labour Party, are each led by figures with presidential ambitions of their own. Atiku has run for president multiple times. Obi polled over six million votes in 2023. Kwankwaso controls significant political machinery in the North-West. Amaechi has his own presidential aspirations. The question of who becomes the consensus candidate, and who steps aside, will test whether the unity declared at Ibadan can survive the realities of political negotiation.
The ADC itself remains embroiled in a leadership crisis with the Supreme Court’s judgment still pending. The PDP is split between rival factions. The NNPP’s participation in a coalition would require Kwankwaso to subordinate his own ambitions. And whether smaller parties not represented at the summit will embrace the single-candidate initiative remains unclear.
The demand for INEC to extend the primaries deadline to the end of July 2026, from the current May 30 deadline, would require the commission to revise its entire electoral timetable, a step INEC officials have consistently stated they will not take to accommodate parties entangled in unresolved disputes.
Nevertheless, the Ibadan summit represents the most significant coordinated opposition action since the 2023 elections. Whether it produces a genuine coalition or becomes another chapter in the long history of Nigerian opposition summits that generate communiqués but not unity, the coming weeks will tell.
As Makinde warned: “Democracy without opposition is not democracy. It is a slow drift toward a one-party state. And Nigeria must not make that drift.”
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