Factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), and Labour Party (LP) have rejected the Ibadan opposition summit.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that after months of internal wrangling and with several court cases still pending, the ADC, led by David Mark, joined forces with the PDP faction aligned with Governor Seyi Makinde and other opposition parties in Ibadan, Oyo State, for an opposition summit on Saturday.
However, speaking to Punch, the factions stated that the Ibadan Summit does not represent their official stance and reaffirmed plans to field separate candidates against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
The PDP National Working Committee, backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, claimed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, former Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Peter Obi (Anambra) and other opposition figures were misled by ‘’impostors’’ who organised the summit.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, in an interview with the aforementioned publication, criticised the Turaki-led PDP leaders who attended the summit.
Mohammed said, “Certainly, our party cannot be part of that arrangement, not because we are not open to having alliances and understandings with opposition parties. We all belong to the opposition, and we all aim toward achieving one thing, which is taking over power from the APC. But the people who went there were not representing the PDP.
“Opposition political parties must ensure they interact with legitimate representatives. The individuals who attended in the PDP’s name are impostors, restricted by court order from acting as party leaders.
“For us, as the genuine leaders and leadership of the PDP, we distance ourselves completely from yesterday’s gathering, not because we are not open to having alliances, but because of the way and manner other opposition political parties aligned themselves with the wrong leadership.
“Those who attended were misled. Those people you mentioned cannot and will not represent the PDP in anything. The PDP said it a few weeks ago, even during the inaugural speech of the national chairman, that the PDP has not entered into any negotiation or alliance with any political party, be it the ruling APC or any opposition party.
“We are the leading opposition party today, and if there is any need to convene a summit in the name of opposition political parties, the PDP is meant to take the centre stage. Makinde, not being a member of the PDP, could not have had the legitimacy, authority, or mandate to convoke, convene, and hold such a meeting.”
Also reacting, the two ADC camps of the 2023 ADC presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, led by Kingsley Ogga and Nafiu Gombe, in separate interviews, denied any involvement in the meeting, while the Accord Party warned that it could institute legal action against individuals or groups parading themselves as representatives of the party.
This comes as the Labour Party’s Interim National Chairman, Nenadi Usman, also disassociated the party from the high-profile summit in Ibadan where political leaders agreed to present a single presidential candidate in 2027.
On its part, the ADC faction led by Interim National Chairman Ogga, also clarified that it was not involved in the summit, adding that opposition parties should instead focus on resolving their internal challenges.
“I want to make it clear that our group was not part of that opposition summit, and we are not in support of the decisions, either. My group does not support that arrangement. Everybody should be free to find and present their own candidate.
“The alliance aspect may sound good, but that is not what we are supposed to focus on now. Our priority should be to put the party in order because there is a crisis within the party, and that is what we should address first,” he admonished.
Also, the Nafiu Gombe-led faction of the ADC rejected both the summit and its resolutions, insisting the party was neither represented nor bound by its outcome.
The Chief of Staff to the bloc’s national chairman, Bala Kumo, stressed that the ADC would pursue its independent electoral path.
He said, “We are not in support of it (a single presidential candidate for the opposition) as the authentic members of the African Democratic Congress. So, whatever resolution was taken in that place, we are not in support of it.
“The ADC is an existing party. It wasn’t registered yesterday, the day before yesterday, last week or last month. ADC has been in existence for almost 20 years. We are fielding a candidate, and Inshallah, all the elective offices at all levels will support it.’’
Continuing, he said, “In my view, the Ibadan Summit can best be described as the reunion of former members of the Peoples Democratic Party, aligning with aggrieved or disgruntled individuals who have been ignored by the party.”