Opposition political parties in Nigeria have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to extend the deadline for party primaries for the 2027 general election to the end of July 2026, alleging that the current timetable is skewed against them.
The demand was contained in a communiqué issued on Saturday at the end of a national summit held in Ibadan, Oyo State, where key opposition figures converged to deliberate on electoral preparations.
The parties at the meeting included the African Democratic Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
According to the communiqué, the existing deadline of May 30, 2026, set by INEC, poses significant challenges to opposition parties and threatens the fairness of the electoral process.
The parties stated, “We consider the recent guidelines released by INEC as obstacles, deliberately engineered to impose conditions and deadlines on opposition parties.
“We therefore demand that INEC extends the deadline for primaries till the end of July 2026.”
They argued that an extension would ensure a level playing field ahead of the 2027 elections and safeguard Nigeria’s democratic process.
The opposition blocs also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of attempting to undermine multi-party democracy, alleging a plot to impose a one-party state.
“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,” the communiqué added.
The parties further rejected what they described as moves to impose President Bola Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate in the next election, insisting that opposition parties would field candidates and actively contest the polls.
In a more direct attack, the opposition leaders accused the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, of partisanship, calling for his exclusion from the conduct of the 2027 elections.
They claimed that his continued stay in office could undermine public confidence and trigger a crisis if not addressed.
“The INEC Chairman, having shown bias in favour of the ruling APC, should not conduct the 2027 general elections, as Nigerians have lost confidence in his neutrality,” the communiqué stated.
The parties also urged the National Assembly to urgently review the Electoral Act 2026, noting that certain provisions could weaken the integrity of the electoral system and contradict constitutional principles.
Additionally, they called for the immediate release of politicians allegedly detained or harassed over what they described as bailable offences.
The opposition maintained that addressing these concerns was critical to ensuring free, fair, and credible elections in 2027.
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