Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 election, has outlined why he will not form a coalition with Peter Obi, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate.
Sowore argued that Obi is similar to other politicians and is merely skilled at “packaging” himself. He highlighted that he was pursuing the presidency long before Obi became a well-known figure.
During an appearance on the Honest Bunch podcast, released by Glitch Africa Studios on Monday, Sowore stated, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for president. All this buzz about Peter Obi… he just knows how to package himself. Anyone can do it.”
He added that aligning with Obi would contradict his principles, as he has consistently opposed supporting Nigerian leaders who, in his view, have held office but underperformed.
“It’s the same reason I wouldn’t have joined forces with Atiku,” he noted. “Peter Obi was Atiku’s vice-presidential candidate in 2019, while I was a presidential candidate. There’s no such thing as a ‘lesser evil’—either you perform or you don’t.”
Sowore also emphasized that he is not swayed by “emotional attachment” when it comes to his political decisions.
