ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Amid rising political activity ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Omoyele Sowore, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has dismissed the current opposition coalition efforts as directionless and counterproductive.
He warned that these efforts will not challenge President Bola Tinubu but instead ensure his path to re-election.
“It is what they (the coalition) are doing that will make it easy for him (Tinubu) to rerun and return to office.
“They are preventing the real, organic coalition of the oppressed from emerging. People are getting distracted Nigerians actually think these guys are fighting for them,” Sowore said while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday.
He described the coalition talks as lacking substance, character, and ideological clarity.
“I’m not a lone voice, the coalition is what is lonely. That’s why they can’t even hold meetings or find a party to join.
“Now they say they want to register a party that’s loneliness. Any coalition without ideology is a lonely coalition. There’s no coalition without conviction, character, or integrity,” he said.
Sowore’s comments come amid renewed talks of realignment within the opposition, with political figures positioning themselves for the next presidential race.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, has taken the lead in coalition discussions.
READ ALSO: 2027: Will Not Join Atiku’s Coalition – Gov Buni
He confirmed meetings with Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who recently left the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Despite these developments, the opposition appears fractured. The PDP Governors’ Forum has publicly distanced itself from the coalition discussions, citing concerns about internal party stability.
Meanwhile, Peter Obi has reiterated his unwillingness to join any alliance that is merely power-driven. He insists that any merger must be rooted in addressing Nigeria’s fundamental governance issues.
El-Rufai’s defection to the SDP has added more intrigue to the evolving drama, though the party leadership has stated that no formal alliance currently exists between it and either El-Rufai or Atiku.
Offering his perspective on a solution, Sowore urged Nigerians to stop relying on the political elite and instead create their own path forward.
“The people need to understand that the only way out is the one they design for themselves. There has to be a different direction,” he said.
“If you keep letting them do what they are doing with you and you get distracted by all these conversations about coalitions you are going to find yourself in a worse situation than now. That has been Nigeria’s story since the emergence of civil rule.”
READ ALSO: 2027: APC, PDP, LP Forming Coalition To Challenge Tinubu’s Re-Election – Atiku
Sowore went further to criticize Nigeria’s political system, saying the country is still far from true democracy.
He said, “We don’t have democracy in Nigeria. What we have is a transition to civil rule. What we’re looking for now is real democracy.”
He also drew a distinction between genuine activism and what he called opportunistic coalition-building.
“I’m the leader of the coalition of the oppressed not the coalition of the hungry, led by Amaechi and the others,” he said, taking a swipe at former minister Rotimi Amaechi and other elite politicians.
When asked whether Nigerians should continue to hope in the current government amidst a worsening economy, Sowore responded sharply.
“No, I don’t think so and I have warned Nigerians. The more you hope, the more you lose, regarding this government. It’s up to them to decide whether they want to keep suffering. No one should be in the situation Nigerians are in now.
“There is nothing to look forward to. Everything that’s going to happen to you in the next two years has already happened in the last two years. I’m not a prophet of doom, but if we continue on this trajectory, they’re not going to do anything meaningful regarding governance.”