Nigeria’s opposition political parties have officially resolved to set aside their differences and field a single, consensus presidential candidate to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
The decision, dubbed the ‘Ibadan Declaration’, was the central focus of a high-stakes national summit of opposition political parties held on Saturday, 25 April 2026, in the Oyo State capital.
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.
Reading the communiqué on behalf of the participating chairmen, the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Taminu Turaki (SAN), declared that the move was an existential necessity to rescue Nigeria from the stranglehold of the APC.
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The opposition bloc made it clear that its primary objective is to prevent the emergence of a one-party state. Despite what they described as the APC’s manoeuvres to position President Bola Tinubu as a sole presidential candidate for 2027, the coalition vowed to fight back through a unified ticket.
“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.
The summit also launched a scathing attack on the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It passed a vote of no confidence in the INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, accusing him of blatant partisanship toward the ruling party.
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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 Ibadan Declaration outlined several critical demands aimed at levelling the playing field. The National Assembly was urged to immediately strip the Electoral Act 2026 of clauses that allegedly threatened the sanctity of elections.
The parties slammed recent INEC guidelines as engineered obstacles and demanded that the deadline for party primaries be extended to the end of July 2026.
The communiqué called for the immediate release of leading politicians currently being allegedly harassed or detained on bailable offences, framing their detention as a violation of fundamental rights.
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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.
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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.
