Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka Our Managing Editor in this piece writes that as Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Governor Seyi Makinde prepare to meet in Ibadan on August 18, 2026, the Society for the Advancement of Democracy (SAD) says the gathering is democratic and necessary. But SAD President Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu warns that without issue-based politics and sacrifice, the alliance risks being remembered as just another meeting of ambition.
On August 18, 2026, Ibadan will become the political capital of Nigeria’s opposition. The host is Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. The guests are the three men who defined the 2023 presidential race: Peter Obi of the NDC, Atiku Abubakar of the ADC, and Rabiu Kwankwaso also of the NDC.
Also expected are Obi’s 2023 running mate and a prominent North-Central governor. Their stated mission is to “come together of the positions to challenge the government in power” and strategize for 2027.
Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu, President of the Society for the Advancement of Democracy (SAD), has given the meeting his public endorsement. Speaking in Abuja, he said the convergence is not only allowed but normal in democracies like the USA, UK and other developed nations.
“We are aware that opposition is part of democracy. But in Nigeria, we are now looking at opposition as enemy. It is wrong,” Nwafor-Orizu said. He cited Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Leader of Opposition in the First Republic, with shadow ministers who offered alternatives instead of insults.
The SAD President drew a clear distinction between opposition as a duty and opposition as a vendetta. He warned that if the Ibadan meeting is only about “removing Tinubu,” it will not advance democracy.
For him, the proper role of opposition is issue-based. He singled out Peter Obi as an example: “He opposes things. Gives his own suggestions for handling it. That’s why he’s nobody’s arresting him, and he’s a proper leader of opposition.”
The arithmetic of 2023 is what makes Ibadan urgent. In that election, Tinubu won 12 states, Atiku won 12 states mostly in the North, and Obi won 12 states across the South-East, South-South and FCT.
The Nnewi in Anambra-born prince put it bluntly: “The votes of the opposition in the last election moved together. His hand and the… of the president. So the president is a minority.” Combined, Atiku and Obi polled more votes than the winner.
But he immediately cautioned against assuming those votes are transferable. “How many votes can Obi muster in the North-East and North-West? In the last election, he got about 7%.”
On the other side, he noted Atiku’s weakness: “In the last election, Atiku did not win one state in the South. Yet, he got 12 states.” To win the presidency, a candidate needs 2/3 of states, 24. Atiku would need to pick up at least 6 southern states.
That is why Nwafor-Orizu says honesty is non-negotiable. “Each person must be honest to his electoral capacity… Is the voter in Nnewi aware of Makinde? Is the farmer in Kano aware of Peter?”
The biggest obstacle is zoning. The South argues it is their turn after 8 years of Buhari and now Tinubu. The North argues they have only done 2 years effectively since 1999 and deserve to complete eight.
A legal practitioner of note and the son of Akweke Nwafor-Orizu, (a former Senate President, who held power as president to enhance peace when there was crisis in the past in Nigeria), laid out both arguments without taking sides. “One thing about Peter’s camp is that it is the turn of the South. Atiku’s argument is that the North has a deficit.” He added that Nigeria did not start in 1999 and that history will be used by both camps.
His prescription is sacrifice. “When oppositions come together, most times one will step down so that they can work together and win.” He admitted the difficulty: “By political protocol, it will be difficult to ask Atiku to be Vice President to Obi.”
The presence of Governor Makinde and Kwankwaso is strategic. Makinde provides South-West structure and a sitting governor’s machinery. Kwankwaso brings Kano and the North-West, where he mobilized over 1.4 million votes in 2023.
Beyond personalities, Nwafor-Orizu challenged the opposition to bring policy. “What is opposition bringing to the table? If they have something better than what these people are doing, Nigerians will support.”
He also had advice for the ruling APC: use the campaign period to sell a plan. “Not that they’ll be in power because they are APC. Nobody is tougher than the whole country. What is in Tinubu’s brain is also in other people’s brain.”
In conclusion, the SAD President says there is “nothing wrong in principle” in the Ibadan meeting. But principle alone won’t win 2027. For the opposition to succeed, they must choose one candidate, be realistic about their regional strengths, and convince Nigerians they have a better program. If not, Ibadan will be just another press conference.
