The National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, mocked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over a photo that appeared to show him asleep during the opposition summit in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Basiru shared the image on Facebook on Sunday, captioning it: “And the opposition leader slept at the all-important opposition summit…..” The photo, from a live Arise News broadcast, showed Atiku seated beside PDP factional chairman Kabiru Turaki.

Opposition Summit Aims for Unity

The Ibadan gathering on Saturday brought together opposition leaders working to field a single presidential candidate for the 2027 elections. Attendees included Atiku, Labour Party 2023 candidate Peter Obi, former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, and ex-Kwara Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

The summit also saw opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), demand amendments to the Electoral Act 2026 and raised concerns over alleged bias by INEC leadership.

Social Media Reacts

The post drew swift online responses. Some users criticized Atiku, while others made light of the moment. Ojewande Taiwo wrote, “This is the man that wants to rescue Nigeria! It’s better he rescues himself.” Tunde Obasemola added, “So shall the election be lost and won while in slumber.”

Others defended or joked about him. Deji Omo Akinsola-Fakanlu said he was “just communing with the gods — he was not sleeping,” while Johnson Erayanmen added, “Please have some sleep, sleepless nights na water.”

Atiku Strikes a Unifying Tone

Despite the image, Atiku used the summit to emphasize unity among opposition parties. In a Facebook post, he said leaders had “spoken with one voice” and urged the formation of a united opposition to defend Nigeria’s democracy, thanking Governor Seyi Makinde and the people of Oyo State for hosting the event.