Inside The 9-point ‘Ibadan Declaration’ By Nigeria’s Opposition Parties

It’s no longer news that prominent Opposition figures in the country, on Saturday, attended what they called Opposition Political Parties National Summit in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Saturday.

The summit was hosted by the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, and attended by factional members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was not clear whether other Opposition parties like Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) were part of the summit.

The well-attended gathering was attended by former vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, former Kano State governor and Kwankwasiyya national leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Osun State governor Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Niger State governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, and former Presidential Liason Officer Kashim Imam, among others.

Also, in attendance were factional ADC national chairman, Senator David Mark, alongside Engr. Rauf Aregbesola and other party officials on one hand, and factional PDP national chairman, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and his team.

After the summit, the ‘participating Opposition Parties in Nigeria’ said, after an extensive deliberation on the collective threats that they faced and the ‘existential challenges’ facing the country under the All Progressives Congress-led (APC) government and given the need for urgent, collective action to rescue the nation and the destiny of over 200 million compatriots, they decided to resolve on a nine-point agenda otherwise dubbed the ‘Ibadan Declaration’.

While the first seven of the nine-point declaration were direct demands by the Opposition Parties, the last two were just commendations for Nigerians and Governor Makinde.

According to a communiqué issued and signed by the ‘Chairmen of Participating Opposition Parties’, which was posted on the verified Facebook page of ADC on Saturday evening, the summit outlined nine-point clear agenda subscribed to by all parties and now known formally as ‘Ibadan Declaration’, which is to be achieved before the 2027 general election as follows:

1. That 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.

2. 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.

3. That 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.

4. That the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, having shown bias and partisanship in favour of the ruling APC, should not conduct the 2027 general elections as Nigerians across board have lost confidence in him and his capacity to guarantee the required neutrality to deliver free, fair, transparent and credible elections. His continuous stay in office is vexatious and capable of triggering wide spread crisis in our nation.

5. That the National Assembly should immediately review the Electoral Act, 2026 to remove all sections that threaten the sanctity and integrity of the elections and run counter to constitutional provisions.

6. That all leading politicians that are being detained or harassed on bailable offfences be released with immediate effect and allowed to exercise their fundamental rights of participation and inclusivity as Nigerians.

7. That we consider the recent guidelines released by the INEC as obstacles, deliberately engineered to impose conditions and deadlines on the opposition parties. We therefore demand that INEC extends the deadline for primaries till the end of July, 2026.

8. The Summit commends Nigerians for their resilience and readiness to work with Opposition Parties to free our nation from State capture.

9. The National summit of Opposition Political Parties thank the Oyo State Governor Engr. Seyi Makinde and the people of Oyo State for hosting the epochal event.

Whether their demands will be heeded or not, only time shall tell!