Leaders of major opposition political parties have declared that all political parties who participated in the National Summit of Opposition Political Party Leaders held at the newly-constructed Banquet Hall of the Oyo State Government House, Ibadan, on Saturday, will work towards fielding a single presidential candidate to rescue Nigeria and its suffering masses in 2027.

This was as Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, urged Nigerians to prevent the destruction of democracy by those in power at the centre.

The opposition political party leaders, in a communique issued at the end of the summit, which featured keynote addresses on free, fair and credible elections, how to tackle insecurity in Nigeria and how to build a productive economy, vowed to resist every machination by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

The participating political parties include the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party, New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Accord Party, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), the Action Alliance (AA), the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Youth Party (YP), the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Commending Nigerians for their perseverance and resilience in the face of the mounting economic hardship, kidnapping and killings they are witnessing daily, the opposition political party leaders hailed Nigerians’ readiness to work with the opposition to free and rescue Nigeria.

According to the communique, no matter the machinations and assault from the ruling APC against opposition figures and the democratic system and processes, opposition political parties in the country would not cave in.

They warned the ruling APC to release leading politicians and opposition figures, who are being harangued and detained for bailable offences, noting, however, that opposition political parties would soldier on in the fight for the survival of multi-party democracy and also field candidates and contest in the 2027 presidential and other elections.

The summit passed a vote of no confidence in the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, who they accused of showing bias and partisanship in favour of the ruling APC, declaring that Nigerians have lost confidence in him and his capacity to guarantee the required neutrality to deliver free, fair and credible elections.

The summit said that the recent guidelines released by INEC were obstacles deliberately emplaced to prevent opposition political parties from participating in the election.

It called for the extension of the INEC deadline for primaries till the end of July 2026, just as it urged the National Assembly to immediately review the Electoral Act, 2026 (as amended) to remove all sections that threaten the sanctity and integrity of the coming elections and run counter to constitutional provisions.

The summit lauded the Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, and the people of the state for hosting the epochal event, which they described as a moment of history in the country.

Speaking earlier, Governor Makinde called on political parties and, indeed, Nigerians to join hands to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy, saying the summit came at a very important time in the life of the country when all men and women of reason ought to rise to the challenges of ensuring that democracy survives in the country.

Makinde said, “Across Nigeria today, we are witnessing a level of political concentration that should concern all of us. A significant majority of state governments are aligned under one party. 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 individually, each of these may have its own explanation. But taken together, they point to a pattern where the space for real political competition is disappearing. This is not something we should treat lightly. Because democracy is not destroyed overnight, it is weakened step by step until people begin to feel it no longer works for them.

“Whether one agrees with this concern or not, it is no longer something we can dismiss, because when opposition becomes ineffective, democracy itself begins to lose meaning. We must be clear about what this means.”

He added, “That this discussion is happening here in Ibadan, is not by accident. Ibadan has always served as the political capital of southwest Nigeria. Back in 1950, this city, hosted a conversation that helped shape Nigeria’s constitutional future. Those discussions were not perfect, but they were necessary. They were driven by a recognition that the structure of a nation must be deliberately built, protected, and, when necessary, debated.

“In many ways, this gathering we are having here today, carries that same responsibility.

“Let me also be clear about what this meeting is not. 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.

“This is a gathering about something more fundamental, the survival of a system that allows Nigeria to remain open, competitive, and accountable, because democracy without opposition is not democracy, it is a slow drift toward a one -party State and Nigeria must not make that drift.

“The truth is simple. No matter how strong any party becomes, no matter how popular any government may appear, the presence of credible opposition is not a threat to democracy, it is what sustains democracy.

“If we allow opposition to weaken, whether by design or by neglect, then we all bear the consequences.”

In their separate addresses, National Chairmen of the PDP and the ADC respectively, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and Senator David Mark decried the anti-democratic tendencies and actions of the ruling APC as well as the maladministration and deep-seated incompetence, which have turned Nigeria to a mass grave where thousands have been kidnapped, maimed and killed in months while there is also a harrowing economic hardship.

Mark noted that the summit of opposition political party leaders is a response to the nation’s call to patriotic duty to rescue Nigeria, noting that he is confident that with opposition political party leaders standing together with conviction, discipline, and sincerity, no force will be strong enough to stop the will of the Nigerian people.

Keynote speakers, including Barr. Mike Igini, a former Resident Electoral Commissioner; Dr Kabiru Adamu, CEO Beacon Security and Intelligence and Prof Pat Utomi, all spoke about the inactions of the current government and the urgent need to reverse the trends in the overall interest of the country.

In his address entitled: “Ensuring Free, Fair and Credible Elections in Nigeria”, Igini highlighted some faults in the Electoral Act, 2026, stressing that unless the noticeable impediments in the Act are addressed, the coming elections would neither be free nor fair.

Kabiru, a security expert, called for a revamp of the justice system and the economy, noting that this effort is key to securing the country, adding that the country must also work to reduce poverty and promote regional harmonisation, among other efforts.

In the same vein, Prof Utomi noted that something is fundamentally wrong with the Nigerian system where those in government are telling poor Nigerians to be patient while they are buying new jets, cars and yachts.

He alluded to an economic injustice by those in government, saying that unless this is addressed the country will continue to be stagnated.

The summit was attended by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President; Mr Peter Obi, 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party; Mr Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Professor Jerry Gana, Co-Convener of the summit; Dr Kashim Ibrahim Imam, Co-Convener of the summit; Chief John Oyegun, former APC Chairman; Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, former Sokoto State governor; Mr Rotimi Amaechi, former Rivers State governor; Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, former minister; Comrade Solomon Dalung, former minister; Dr Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, former Kano State governor; Dr Babangida Aliyu, former Niger State governor; Mr Liyel Imoke, former Cross River State governor; Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, National Secretary, ADC; Hon Taofeek Arapaja, National Secretary PDP; Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Osun State governor; Mr Abdulfatai Ahmed, former Kwara State governor; and Alhaji Muhammed Hayatu-Deen, former PDP presidential aspirant.

Others include Dr Kabir Adamu, Hajia Aisha Yesufu, Mrs Onikepo Oshodi, Chief Sunday Solarin, Chief Yemi Soluade, Barrister Silas Onu, Engineer Jide Adeniyi, Senator Victor Umeh, Chief Ben Obi, Chief Ralph Nwosu, Ex-Rep Nnenna Ukeje, Senator Ireti Kingibe.

⁠Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, ⁠Kenneth Okonkwo, Ralph Nwosu, Engr Hamid Gbadamosi, Alhaja Mutiat Ladoja, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, Dr Saka Balogun, Hon Stanley Adedeji Olajide, Hon Folajimi Oyekunle, Rt Hon ⁠Debo Ogundoyin, Alh Buba Galadinma, and Senator Ben Obi, among other dignitaries.