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, who has been running for president for several years, criticized Obi, claiming he is not fundamentally different from other Nigerian politicians and that his success is mainly due to his ability to “package” himself.
In an interview on the Honest Bunch Podcast, Sowore stated, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for President. He just knows how to package. Anyone can do it.” He further emphasized that aligning with Obi would contradict his principles, particularly his stance against supporting any Nigerian leader with a history of non-performance in political office.
Sowore also highlighted Obi’s previous role as Vice Presidential candidate alongside Atiku Abubakar in 2019, adding, “The Peter Obi you are talking about was Vice Presidential candidate to Atiku when I was presidential candidate in 2019.” He reiterated his belief that there are no “lesser evils” in Nigerian politics, asserting that non-performance is non-negotiable. “If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good,” Sowore concluded.
