The African Action Congress (AAC) 2023 presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has explained his refusal to form a coalition with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate.
Speaking on the Honest Bunch podcast, Sowore emphasized that he could not align himself with politicians who, in his view, lack tangible legacies, describing Obi’s appeal as “mere packaging.”
Sowore addressed the issue candidly, stating, “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.”
The AAC leader expressed that joining forces with Obi would contradict his principles.
“If I form a coalition with Peter Obi, I will be going against what I have always stood for, which is that I will never support a Nigerian leader who has held any political office — whether at the federal, state, or local level — if I consider them non-performing,” he asserted.
He continued by clarifying that this stance wasn’t limited to Obi but applied broadly to Nigerian politicians he considered ineffective.
“It’s the same reason I would never have joined hands with Atiku. And the Peter Obi you’re talking about was a vice-presidential candidate to Atiku when I was a presidential candidate in 2019,” Sowore reminded viewers.
Reflecting on his values, Sowore added, “There is no lesser evil in my book. If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good. I have a general disdain for non-performance.”
He recounted previous discussions with Obi during his tenure as Anambra governor, revealing concerns about his legacy.
“When Peter Obi finished his term in Anambra, the question I asked him was whether he could send his child to any university he had built in Anambra—he was mute and could not respond,” Sowore shared, adding, “I also asked him if he could enter any hospital he built in Anambra… there was also no response.”
Sowore challenged Nigerians to consider whether politicians have truly delivered.
“If they can pack their bags and head to Anambra for a vacation,” he added, referring to the quality of infrastructure Obi left behind.
In the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi emerged third with 6,101,533 votes, following President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who recorded 8,794,726 and 6,984,520 votes respectively.
Sowore’s comments come amid ongoing discussions around legacy, leadership, and the true dividends of democracy in Nigeria.