Nigerian presidency: I am ahead of Peter Obi – Omoyele Sowore

Omoyele Sowore, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has explained why he cannot form a coalition with Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate.

Sowore criticized Obi, claiming that he is no different from other Nigerian politicians, and accused him of merely being better at “packaging.”

Sowore, who has been vocal about his presidential ambitions, stated that he had been running for the presidency long before Obi rose to national prominence.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Honest Bunch Podcast, Sowore remarked, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for President. All these shouts about Peter Obi… He just knows how to package. Anyone can do it.”

He further clarified his position by emphasizing his refusal to support any former political officeholder whom he considers non-performing. “If I join [form a coalition with] Peter Obi, I will be going against what I have always stood for. I will never support a Nigerian leader who has held any political office before whom I consider non-performing,” Sowore said.

Sowore also referenced Obi’s past political involvement, pointing out that Obi had served as the Vice Presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 elections while Sowore ran for president.

“The Peter Obi you are talking about was Vice Presidential candidate to Atiku when I was presidential candidate in 2019,” he added.

In his closing remarks, Sowore stated that he does not believe in the concept of a “lesser evil” in Nigerian politics.
“If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good. I have a general disdain for non-performance,” he concluded.