Deep divisions within Nigeria’s opposition have resurfaced after multiple parties distanced themselves from a high-profile summit in Ibadan that sought to forge a united front against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party Nigeria and the Accord Party have all rejected the legitimacy of the gathering, insisting it does not reflect their official positions and reaffirming plans to field separate presidential candidates.
The summit, held in Ibadan, brought together a coalition of opposition figures who pledged to present a single candidate to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). But the initiative has quickly unravelled, exposing entrenched rivalries and unresolved leadership disputes.
The PDP’s national working committee, aligned with the federal capital territory minister Nyesom Wike, dismissed the organisers as “impostors”, claiming key figures—including former vice-president Atiku Abubakar—had been misled into attending.
Its spokesperson, Jungudo Mohammed, said the party had not authorised any alliance talks and would not be bound by the summit’s resolutions. “Those who attended were not representing the PDP,” he said, adding that the party remained the “only credible platform” for any opposition coalition.
Parallel fractures were evident within the ADC, where rival camps linked to Dumebi Kachikwu also disowned the meeting. Representatives of both factions said the party would pursue its own electoral strategy rather than back a joint ticket.
“We are not in support of it,” one faction said, urging parties to resolve internal crises before contemplating alliances. Another described the summit as little more than a gathering of “aggrieved individuals”.
The Labour party’s interim leader Nenadi Usman likewise distanced the party from the Ibadan talks, signalling a cautious approach to coalition-building as it focuses on resolving its own leadership disputes ahead of an upcoming convention.
The Accord party also rejected any association with the summit, warning it could take legal action over the alleged unauthorised use of its name and symbol.
The meeting itself had drawn an array of prominent opposition figures, including former Senate president David Mark, former governors Rabiu Kwankwaso, Peter Obi and Rauf Aregbesola, alongside other political heavyweights.
Host governor Seyi Makinde used the occasion to warn against what he described as creeping authoritarianism, invoking the memory of “Operation Wetie”—the violent unrest that engulfed western Nigeria in the mid-1960s following disputed elections and factional splits within the old Action Group.
In a communiqué, attendees accused the APC-led government of attempting to steer Nigeria towards a one-party state and pledged to resist such a trajectory by uniting behind a single presidential candidate.
But the swift backlash from party leaderships has cast doubt on the viability of that plan, underlining the opposition’s persistent struggle to reconcile competing ambitions and internal divisions.
The APC, for its part, dismissed the summit as political theatre, accusing opposition figures of resorting to pressure tactics and questioning Makinde’s remarks as inflammatory.
With court cases still pending and party structures fractured, the prospect of a cohesive opposition challenge in 2027 appears increasingly uncertain—raising fresh questions about whether Nigeria’s fragmented political landscape can produce the unity required to mount a serious electoral contest.
