A fresh political realignment may be in the works ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, as opposition parties have reportedly reached a consensus to present a unified presidential candidate to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The declaration was made in a communiqué issued after a national summit held in Ibadan on Saturday, where key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amaechi and Rauf Aregbesola, met to chart a common strategy.
Reading the communiqué, the factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Taminu Turaki, said: “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 2027 elections, the opposition dismissed claims of a predetermined outcome, stating: “despite the onslaughts and manoeuvrings of the ruling party, ..we shall field candidates and contest the 2027 Presidential and other elections.”
The parties also signalled plans for a united ticket, declaring: “ee 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.”
Nigeria’s opposition landscape is largely dominated by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP), and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), among others.
It has been observed that lack of agreement among these parties contributed significantly to their defeat in the 2023 elections, where multiple strong candidates split the opposition votes, to the benefit of the APC.
Raising concerns about the electoral umpire, the communiqué stated: “The INEC Chairman, Joash Ojo Amupitan, having shown bias and partisanship in favour of the ruling APC, should not conduct the 2027 general elections.”
“We consider the recent guidelines released by INEC as obstacles, deliberately engineered to impose conditions and deadlines on the opposition parties,” he said, adding, “INEC [should] extend the deadline for primaries till the end of July, 2026.”
Earlier in his address, the host governor, Seyi Makinde, warned that Nigeria’s democracy was facing a gradual erosion due to increasing political concentration and the weakening of opposition parties.
He stated: “Across Nigeria today, we are witnessing a level of political concentration that should concern all of us… taken together, they point to a pattern where the space for real political competition is disappearing.”
Makinde cautioned that democracy “is not destroyed overnight,” but “weakened step by step,” stressing that “when opposition becomes ineffective, democracy itself begins to lose meaning.”
In his intervention, political economist and strategist, Pat Utomi, painted a stark picture of the country’s economic hardship, using a personal experience to illustrate the widening gap between living costs and citizens’ income.
He said: “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. If that doesn’t reveal something fundamentally broken in our system, then nothing will.”
Utomi noted that the crisis extended beyond fuel prices, stressing: “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.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s past, he added: “In the years leading up to independence, Nigeria was not industrialised, but there was a clear vision. Within a few years, manufacturing began to grow significantly. There was direction, there was purpose.”
Calling for urgent reforms, he said: “We need leadership with character. We need policies that reflect our realities, not borrowed solutions that do not fit our context. Above all, we must listen to the voices of the people.”
He expressed optimism that: “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.”
Also addressing the summit, the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, described the gathering as a critical moment in Nigeria’s history, calling it “an urgent response to our nation’s call to patriotic duty.”
He said: “My prayer is that history will remember us, that when the nation cried out to be rescued, we answered. When children went to bed hungry, we answered, when proud, hardworking citizens were turned to beggars; we answered.”
Raising alarm over insecurity, Mark stated: “Across the length and breadth of our country, insecurity has become a defining feature of daily life. Nigeria faces a historic challenge.”
Mark further alleged deliberate efforts to weaken opposition parties, stating: “The move towards a one-party state is real, institutions that should safeguard our freedom, are increasingly under assault.”
He insisted that the struggle transcended politics, declaring: “This contest is between the ruling party APC, and the Nigerian people, we are on the side of the people.”
Questioning the credibility of the electoral body, he said: “When the referee clearly and proudly wears the jersey of one of the teams, then the legitimacy of the entire process is undermined,” adding that Nigerians had lost confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He called for unity and sacrifice, noting that: “Let this summit go down in history as the moment when everything changed, we chose unity over division, sacrifice over self, and country above all.”
Political observers also caution that aligning diverse political interests, ambitions, and regional considerations under a single platform will be a complex and delicate process.
While no specific candidate has been officially endorsed, sources within the opposition indicate that consultations are intensifying across geo-political zones, with stakeholders pushing for inclusivity and strategic compromise.
