Following former presidential candidate Peter Obi move to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, there might be fresh concerns regarding the Ibadan Summit held last week.
ENigeria Newspaper recalled that the main opposition parties in Nigeria came together and decided to run a single candidate in the 2027 presidential contest against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Participating Opposition Parties in Nigeria, after an extensive deliberation on the collective threats that we face and the existential challenges facing our country under the stranglehold of the oppressive and anti-democratic All Progressives Congress (APC) and given the need for urgent, collective action to rescue our nation and the destiny of over 200 million compatriots”, the communique had read.
The opposition parties had included the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), The African Democratic Congress (ADC), The Labour Party (LP), The Social Democratic Party (SDP) made this claim.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi, former Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who hosted the event, were among the presidential contenders present at the gathering.
Others at the summit include former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu; former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed; Senators Victor Umeh and Rabiu Kwankwaso; Prof. Jerry Gana; and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, among others.
However, Peter Obi seemed not have accepted how the summit went as it did not explicitly discuss the issue of zoning. Also, the summit did not state what party would field the presidential candidate, and its running mate. As a result, Peter Obi did not put any picture or video from his summit on his social media.
Now, it seems like the gathering has a lot of jobs in their hands as the method in which it would choose its opposition candidate and vice candidate is unknown. While the African Democratic Congress (ADC) still has Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi as aspirants, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) now has Peter Obi who has stated categorically that he has an ambition to be on the ballot.
The question that remains ultimate is this ; how exactly will these two opposing blocks reconcile to field one candidate? If they do not find a way to do, it might mean the summit has not or would not yield any positives at all.
However, would another divided opposition risk facing President Tinubu in 2027? Only time will tell.
