Nigeria's major opposition parties agreed to back a single presidential candidate in the 2027 election during a summit held in Ibadan on April 25, 2026. The decision was announced in a communique signed by chairmen of participating parties, including the ADC and a faction of the PDP. The document stated the coalition would "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 summit was hosted by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who attended alongside presidential aspirants Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi. The parties declared they had lost confidence in INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, citing bias in favour of the ruling APC. They called for his removal from overseeing the 2027 elections.
The communique rejected any attempt by the APC to impose President Bola Tinubu as the sole candidate. It urged the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act, 2026, and demanded INEC extend the deadline for party primaries to July 31, 2026. The opposition coalition described recent INEC guidelines as deliberate obstacles aimed at disadvantaging them.
The same opposition figures who failed to unite in 2023 now promise a single candidate in 2027, yet offer no mechanism for resolving internal rivalries. Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi all attended the summit as presidential aspirants, undermining claims of imminent unity. No process or timeline was disclosed for selecting the consensus candidate, leaving the declaration more symbolic than strategic. For Nigerian voters weary of political theatrics, the Ibadan Declaration raises more questions than answers.
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