•Makinde says Nigeria’s democracy under threat

By Adeola Badru

Opposition parties across Nigeria have put aside their differences, signalling their intention to present a single presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.

They warned that the seeming dominance of the All Progressives Congress, APC, constitutes a threat to credible elections.

The declaration was made in a communiqué issued after a national summit held in Ibadan yesterday.

At the forum,  key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi and Rauf Aregbesola, met to chart a common strategy.

Reading the communiqué, factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Taminu Turaki, said: “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. Despite the onslaughts and maneuverings of the ruling party, we shall field candidates and contest the 2027 presidential and other elections.

“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 its long-suffering masses.

“INEC Chairman, Joash Ojo Amupitan, having shown bias and partisanship in favour of the ruling APC, should not conduct the 2027 general elections. His continuous stay in office is vexatious and capable of triggering widespread crises in our nation. The National Assembly should immediately review the Electoral Act, 2026, to remove all sections that threaten the sanctity and integrity of the elections.

“All leading politicians who are being detained or harassed on bailable offences be released with immediate effect and allowed to exercise their fundamental rights of participation and inclusivity as Nigerians.

“We consider the recent guidelines released by INEC as obstacles, deliberately engineered to impose conditions and deadlines on the opposition parties. INEC should extend the deadline for primaries till the end of July 2026.’’

Earlier in his address, the host governor, Seyi Makinde, warned that Nigeria’s democracy is facing a gradual erosion due to the weakening of opposition parties.

He said: “Across Nigeria today, we are witnessing a level of political concentration that should concern all of us. They point to a pattern where the space for real political competition is disappearing.”

Makinde cautioned that democracy “is not destroyed overnight,” but “weakened step by step,” stressing that “when opposition becomes ineffective, democracy itself begins to lose meaning.

He emphasised that democracy must be defined by “the existence of real alternatives” and warned that without this, “what we have may still be called democracy, but it will no longer function as one.”

Highlighting the significance of Ibadan as the venue, Makinde noted: “Ibadan has always served as the political capital of the South-West. This gathering carries that same responsibility as past historic constitutional conversations.

The governor also clarified the intent of the summit, saying: “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.”

Makinde, however, warned that: “Democracy without opposition is not democracy, it is a slow drift towards a one-party state. And Nigeria must not make that drift.”

He urged stakeholders to “think clearly, speak honestly, and act with a sense of responsibility that goes beyond party lines.”

In his submission, Prof Pat Utomi, painted a stark picture of the country’s economic hardship, using a personal experience to illustrate the widening gap between living costs and citizens’ income.

He said: “Let me begin with a simple experience from yesterday. I set out to buy fuel, and by the time I was done, I had spent nearly 250,000 naira just to fill my tank.

“At the same time, I came across a report showing that a large percentage of Nigerians live on less than 100,000 naira a month. That contrast is not just troubling, it is absurd. If that doesn’t reveal something fundamentally broken in our system, then nothing will.”

Utomi noted that the crisis extended beyond fuel prices, stressing: “Food prices are rising, insecurity continues to disrupt agriculture, and ordinary people are struggling to survive. Yet we are often told to be patient, that things will improve with time. But patience means very little to those who are hungry today.”

Reflecting on Nigeria’s past, he added: “In the years leading up to independence, Nigeria was not industrialised, but there was a clear vision. Within a few years, manufacturing began to grow significantly. There was direction, there was purpose.”

Calling for urgent reforms, Utomi said: “We need leadership with character. We need policies that reflect our realities, not borrowed solutions that do not fit our context. Above all, we must listen to the voices of the people. The situation we face is serious, but it is not hopeless. With the right leadership, the right values, and a shared commitment to progress, we can rebuild this nation and create a future that works for all.”

Also addressing the summit, National Chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, described the gathering as a critical moment in Nigeria’s history, calling it “an urgent response to our nation’s call to patriotic duty.”

He said: “My prayer is that history will remember us, that when the nation cried out to be rescued, we answered. When children went to bed hungry, we answered, when proud, hardworking citizens were turned to beggars; we answered.

“Across the length and breadth of our country, insecurity has become a defining feature of daily life. Nigeria faces a historic challenge. In 2025 alone, Nigeria recorded more than 12,000 conflict-related deaths. Nigeria is now ranked 4th in the Global Terrorism Index. At least 15 Nigerians are killed daily, while about 19 people are abducted.

“We are a nation that is constantly in mourning, yet the APC-led government is behaving as if all is well. It is preoccupied with election matters and politics of self-succession.

“The essence of democracy is to provide the people with a choice. However, the ruling party has done everything to deny the people of Nigeria this very right to seek an alternative.

“No single opposition political party can confront a system so entrenched. We must be united to salvage our nation. The move towards a one-party state is real. Institutions that should safeguard our freedom are increasingly under assault.

“This contest is between the ruling party, APC, and the Nigerian people. We are on the side of the people. “When the referee clearly and proudly wears the jersey of one of the teams, then the legitimacy of the entire process is undermined. Nigerians have lost confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission. Let this summit go down in history as the moment everything changed. We chose unity over division, sacrifice over self, and country above all.”