Opposition political party leaders have announced plans to unite and field a single presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The opposition leaders reached this resolution on Saturday during the national summit of opposition political party leaders held in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state.
The leaders also warned that Nigeria’s democracy is under increasing strain and requires urgent collective action to safeguard it.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the parties vowed to resist all “machinations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to foist a one-party state on Nigeria”.
“That despite the onslaughts and manoeuvrings of the ruling party, the APC, to impose President Bola Tinubu as the sole Presidential candidate in 2027, we shall field candidates and contest the 2027 Presidential and other elections,” the communiqué reads.
The parties further accused INEC chairman Joash Amupitan of “showing bias and partisanship in favour of the APC” and should be removed from office.
Additionally, the leaders said the move to support a single candidate is to prevent vote splitting and boost the opposition’s chances at the polls.
Speaking during his opening speech, the host Seyi Makinde warned that democratic competition is deteriorating, stressing that the concentration of political power in one party threatens pluralism.
Meanwhile, Taminu Turaki, the factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on his part warned that disunity has traditionally undermined opposition efforts and characterised the action as both strategic and necessary.
BACKSTORY…
The ADC particularly has been involved in internal leadership crisis in recent weeks. Crisis characterised by court cases and several protests.
Following attempts by the opposition to unseat Tinubu in 2027, President Tinubu has firmly stated that he is unshaken by mounting pressure from the opposition ahead of the elections.
Meanwhile, Governor Seyi Makinde has also warned opposition parties to stick together, cautioning that the country’s democracy may suffer greatly if the opposition becomes weaker.
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