₦airaland Forum

Governor Seyi Makinde’s Welcome Address at the National Summit of Opposition Political Party Leaders

Being the Welcome Address by His Excellency Seyi Makinde, FNSE, Executive Governor of Oyo State at the National Summit of Opposition Political Party Leaders on Saturday, 25 April 2026 at the Banquet Hall, Oyo State Government House, Ibadan, Oyo State

Welcome to Ibadan.

Across Nigeria today, we are witnessing a level of political concentration that should concern all of us.

A significant majority of state governments are aligned under one party. There are open efforts to consolidate legislative control under one party. At the same time, opposition parties are increasingly entangled in internal crises and legal battles that raise serious questions about their ability to function effectively.

Taken individually, each of these may have its own explanation.

But taken together, they point to a pattern where the space for real political competition is disappearing.

This is not something we should treat lightly. Because democracy is not destroyed overnight, it is weakened step by step until people begin to feel it no longer works for them.

Whether one agrees with this concern or not, it is no longer something we can dismiss. Because when opposition becomes ineffective, democracy itself begins to lose meaning.

We must be clear about what this means.

Democracy is not defined by the success of one party. It is defined by the existence of real alternatives, by the ability of citizens to choose, and by the confidence that those choices matter.

Once that disappears, what we have may still be called democracy, but it will no longer function as one.

That this discussion is happening here in Ibadan, is not by accident. Ibadan has always served as the political capital of southwest Nigeria.

Back in 1950, this city, hosted a conversation that helped shape Nigeria’s constitutional future. Those discussions were not perfect, but they were necessary. They were driven by a recognition that the structure of a nation must be deliberately built, protected, and, when necessary, debated.

In many ways, this gathering we are having here today, carries that same responsibility.

Let me also be clear about what this meeting is not.

It is not a gang-up against one man; and it is not about individual ambitions to be president. It is about the collective ambition of the Nigerian people to have a democracy properly defined.

This is a gathering about something more fundamental, the survival of a system that allows Nigeria to remain open, competitive, and accountable.

Because democracy without opposition is not democracy, it is a slow drift toward a one -party State.

And Nigeria must not make that drift.

The truth is simple. No matter how strong any party becomes, no matter how popular any government may appear, the presence of credible opposition is not a threat to democracy, it is what sustains democracy.

If we allow opposition to weaken, whether by design or by neglect, then we all bear the consequences.

So, this is not a moment for fragmentation. It is not a moment for silence. And it is certainly not a moment to disengage politically.

It is a moment to think clearly, to speak honestly, and to act with a sense of responsibility that goes beyond party lines.

Nigeria has come too far to pretend that this does not matter.

And the responsibility to ensure that it does not go further than it should belongs to all of us.

Thank you and God bless you.

Seyi Makinde

25 April 2026

Today, with the aim of safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy, we hosted a national summit that brought together opposition political party leaders, members of civil society and other relevant stakeholders.
As I said in my welcome remarks, democracy is not defined by the success of… pic.twitter.com/lS7EYxngL9

— Seyi Makinde (@seyimakinde) April 25, 2026

IBADAN DECLARATION

Communiqué issued at the end of Opposition Political Parties National Summit held on Saturday April 25, 2026 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

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, hereby resolve as follows:

1. That 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 in our country.

2. That despite the onslaughts and manoeuvrings of the ruling party, the APC to impose President Bola Tinubu as the sole Presidential candidate in 2027; we shall field candidates and contest the 2027 Presidential and other elections.

3. That we shall work towards fielding one Presidential Candidate for the 2027 elections, which shall be agreed and supported by all participating opposition parties to rescue our nation and her long suffering masses.

4. That the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, having shown bias and partisanship in favour of the ruling APC, should not conduct the 2027 general elections as Nigerians across board have lost confidence in him and his capacity to guarantee the required neutrality to deliver free, fair, transparent and credible elections. His continuous stay in office is vexatious and capable of triggering wide spread crisis in our nation.

5. That the National Assembly should immediately review the Electoral Act, 2026 to remove all sections that threaten the sanctity and integrity of the elections and run counter to constitutional provisions.

6. That all leading politicians that are being detained or harassed on bailable offfences be released with immediate effect and allowed to exercise their fundamental rights of participation and inclusivity as Nigerians.

7. That we consider the recent guidelines released by the INEC as obstacles, deliberately engineered to impose conditions and deadlines on the opposition parties. We therefore demand that INEC extends the deadline for primaries till the end of July, 2026.

8. The Summit commends Nigerians for their resilience and readiness to work with Opposition Parties to free our nation from State capture.

9. The National summit of Opposition Political Parties thank the Oyo State Governor Engr. Seyi Makinde and the people of Oyo State for hosting the epochal event.

SIGNED:

Chairmen of Participating Opposition Parties.

“We will field only one presidential candidate that will be agreed upon by all opposition parties”.pic.twitter.com/4WS5bEaT5J

— iexclusivenews (@iexclusivenews) April 25, 2026

BREAKING: ADC and the Governor Makinde-backed Turaki faction of the PDP have agreed to field a single presidential candidate in the 2027 election.

Factional PDP National Chairman Tanimu Turaki made the announcement on behalf of opposition parties at the National Opposition… pic.twitter.com/4E8NdL922F

— Musan Baturia (@BaturiaReports) April 25, 2026

This is impressive.

Only that the PDP, APGA, LP, SDP, and AAC are clearly not part of that arrangement.

So what exactly is your definition of "Opposition Parties," Aisha?

Because if your definition excludes the five most defining opposition structures in the country, then perhaps the word you are looking for is not opposition - it is REMNANTS.

Aisha, why are you addicted to lying?

Opposition parties in Nigeria have agreed to field one presidential candidate!!!!

“We will field only one presidential candidate that will be agreed upon by all opposition parties”. - PDP, ADC

This is how Peter Obi was finally skeemed out of getting the ADC Presidential ticket. pic.twitter.com/PDrmkb9NLm

— Àkànní (@idofoi) April 25, 2026

No Court Stopped Saturday Environmental Sanitation, Lagos Declares

By Abdul-hafeez Fadehan
April 24, 2026

The Lagos State Government has dismissed reports suggesting a court has stopped the reintroduced Saturday environmental sanitation exercise, insisting no judicial order exists barring the programme.

In a Friday statement posted on X, the Commissioner, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, explained that the Court affirmed that the laws used for the implementation and enforcement of environmental sanitation are legitimate and constitutional.

According to him, the State Government proceeded to the Court of Appeal, and a judgment was delivered in its favour.

The statement reads, “Tomorrow morning between 6:30 am and 8:30 am, we begin a new chapter in our collective journey toward a cleaner Lagos. The monthly environmental sanitation exercise returns, and I am calling on every resident to come out and participate actively.

“Let me address the confusion some have tried to create. No court pronouncement has invalidated this exercise. The State proceeded to the Court of Appeal, and judgment was delivered in our favour. The Court affirmed that the laws used for the implementation and enforcement of environmental sanitation are legitimate and constitutional. So disregard those who choose to mislead the public.”

Wahab further clarified that the exercise scheduled for Saturday came after public complaints and a year-long planning to tackle the dirty surroundings.

He added, “We have planned this for over a year. We have thought it through. We cannot keep complaining about dirty surroundings and blaming the government while shirking our own responsibilities. The care of our environment is a collaborative project between government and citizens.”

The Commissioner further disclosed that transport unions have pledged not to deploy vehicles from major parks during the sanitation window.

“Major transport unions controlling about 90% of vehicles on our roads have pledged not to deploy their vehicles from major parks during the sanitation window. If government vehicles are staying put, what will it cost us to stay home for just two hours to clean our environment?” he questioned.

Wahab also noted that exceptions for vehicular restrictions were for candidates writing UTME exams, saying, “We are not unreasonable. Exceptions exist for emergencies, scheduled flights, and students writing JAMB exams.”

He disclosed that, “LAWMA has been fully mobilised to evacuate waste generated. Environmental health officers will monitor properties, and defaulters will be served abatement notices.”

“Tomorrow, let us show Lagos and the world that we are ready to take ownership of our environment. Two hours. One Saturday each month. A cleaner, healthier, flood-free Lagos for all of us,” he concluded.

GRV justified Monday sit at home.

Same GRV has problems with 2 hours environmental sanitation.

Una problem for that Lagos be say una like explanation too much.