Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is a leading presidential aspirant on the platform of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, has mocked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over an image showing him apparently dozing off during Saturday’s opposition summit in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The photo, a screen grab from a live broadcast by Arise News, showed Mr Atiku seated beside Kabiru Turaki, the national chairman of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), during the meeting.
.. quickly drew a flurry of reactions from Facebook users, many of them critical or sarcastic.
A user, Ojewande Taiwo, wrote, “This is the man that wants to rescue Nigeria! It’s better he rescues himself.”
Another commenter, Tunde Obasemola, said, “So shall the election be lost and won while in slumber.”
Some reactions were humorous. Thunderson Adaramola posted laughing emojis, while Deji Omo Akinsola-Fakanlu defended Mr Atiku jokingly, saying he was “just communing with the gods — he was not sleeping.”
Johnson Erayanmen added, “Please have some sleep, sleepless nights na water.”
Other commenters took a broader political stance. One user, Thunderson Adaramola, urged the former vice president to step aside and act as a statesman, while Wale Adeyemo suggested internal divisions within the opposition, claiming most leaders were backing Mr Atiku’s ambition over others.
Beyond the social media reactions, Mr Basiru also questioned the legitimacy of the Ibadan meeting itself.
In comments reported by The Nation, he described the gathering as “a ruse,” arguing that it did not constitute a formal meeting of political parties.
“For parties to meet, there must be prior authorisation from their National Working Committee (NWC) or National Executive Committee (NEC). Without that, it is simply a gathering of individuals,” he said.
“If they now claim that ten political parties met to gang up against one party, it contradicts their earlier narrative. It shows that the political space remains open, but they lack the strength to compete individually.”
The summit, held at the Oyo State Government House in Ibadan, brought together key opposition figures, including Peter Obi, Aminu Tambuwal, Rabiu Kwankwaso, David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, among others.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting, opposition parties — including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) — announced plans to field a single candidate for the 2027 presidential election to challenge the ruling APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The parties also accused the APC of attempting to steer Nigeria toward a one-party state and called for urgent amendments to the Electoral Act 2026.
They further expressed concerns about the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing alleged bias.
Despite being portrayed as sleeping during the event, former Vice President Atiku struck a unifying tone in his own remarks about the summit.
In a Facebook post, he said opposition leaders had “spoken with one voice” and stressed the need to build a united front.
“The time has come to forge a united opposition, bound by purpose and driven by the sacred duty to defend and sustain our democracy,” he wrote, thanking Governor Seyi Makinde and the people of Oyo State for hosting the event.
