Two major opposition political parties โ the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) โ have pledged to work towards fielding a single presidential candidate to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
The commitment was contained in a communiquรฉ issued on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the end of an Opposition Political Parties National Summit held in Ibadan, Oyo State. The document, tagged the “Ibadan Declaration,” was signed by chairmen of participating opposition parties.
In the communiquรฉ, the parties resolved that despite what they described as “onslaughts and manoeuvrings” by the ruling APC to impose President Bola Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate in 2027, they would not only field candidates but also work towards agreeing on one joint candidate to be supported by all participating opposition parties.
“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 communiquรฉ read in part.
The summit also declared that the party’s decision to field a single candidate had become necessary to counter the APC’s alleged machinations to foist a one-party state on Nigeria and to fight for the survival of multi-party democracy in the country.
Beyond the 2027 presidential race, the opposition parties called for the immediate removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, whom they accused of bias and partisanship in favour of the APC. They insisted that he should not conduct the 2027 general elections.
The communiquรฉ further demanded that the National Assembly urgently review the Electoral Act, 2026, to remove all sections that threaten the integrity of elections. The parties also called on INEC to extend the deadline for primaries until the end of July 2026, describing the current guidelines as obstacles deliberately engineered to impose conditions on opposition parties.
Additionally, the summit demanded the immediate release of all leading politicians currently detained or harassed on bailable offences, saying they should be allowed to exercise their fundamental rights to political participation.
The opposition parties commended Nigerians for their resilience and readiness to work with them to free the nation from what they termed “State capture.” They also thanked Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, and the people of the state for hosting the summit.
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