2027 Coalition: Why I Stayed Away From Ibadan Summit — Sowore

The attempt by Nigeria’s leading opposition figures to forge a unified front ahead of the 2027 general election has been met with a sharp rebuke from Omoyele Sowore, who dismissed the weekend gathering in Ibadan as a “political charade” involving “recycled” actors.

Leaders from various political parties, including a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chaired by Kabiru Turaki, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) — reportedly led at the summit by former Senate President David Mark — met on Saturday in the Oyo State capital. Their primary objective was to strategize on presenting a single presidential candidate to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next electoral cycle.

However, Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), confirmed on Sunday that he had deliberately declined an invitation to the summit. In a statement shared on his X handle, the Sahara Reporters publisher argued that the individuals involved lack the moral authority to lead a transformation, having presided over years of “stagnation, corruption, and systemic decay.”

“I declined the Ibadan ‘Opposition Summit’. Nigerians deserve a genuine alternative, not recycled failure,” Sowore wrote, adding that he saw no reason to “pretend” that the same actors who contributed to the nation’s challenges could reinvent themselves as “champions of progress.”

The Ibadan meeting was not without its own internal and external friction. Governor Seyi Makinde, the host, invoked the historical memory of “Operation Wetie”—the violent political crisis of the 1960s—to warn against the dangers of one-party domination. Makinde noted that Ibadan has historically been the epicenter of resistance against political imposition, urging the opposition to remain effective to prevent the erosion of democracy.

The summit also drew derision from the ruling party. APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, took to social media to mock former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, sharing a viral image of the PDP leader appearing to sleep during the proceedings. Basiru characterized the entire summit as a “ruse,” questioning its legitimacy as a formal meeting of political entities.

While the coalition aims to consolidate power against the APC, Sowore maintains that the AAC will remain independent. He stated that his party is committed to mobilizing a “people-driven alternative” that rejects both the ruling party and what he described as “opportunistic” opposition structures. According to him, Nigeria’s political survival requires a “decisive break” from existing frameworks rather than a simple rearrangement of familiar figures.