Former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has outlined the reasons why he cannot form a political coalition with Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party.
Featuring in the Honest Bunch Podcast, Sowore criticized Obi, stating that he sees him as no different from other Nigerian politicians, arguing that Obi is merely skilled at “packaging” himself.
Sowore, who has been actively contesting for the presidency for years, asserted that he had been in the race long before Obi gained national attention.
Sowore emphasized that he could not align with Obi because doing so would contradict his principles.
He explained that his stance against forming alliances with former political office holders who he believes have underperformed remains unchanged. Sowore pointed out that Obi had served as the vice-presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 elections, further reinforcing his view that he could not support Obi due to his past political associations.
Sowore stressed that, in his view, there are no “lesser evils” in Nigerian politics; anyone who has failed to deliver in office is not worth supporting.
Sowore reiterated that his core belief is rooted in rejecting non-performance in leadership, insisting that if a politician is considered “evil,” they remain so, regardless of their packaging or political positioning.
Sowore said, “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.
“If I join [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 before whom I consider non-performing.
“It’s the same reason I would never have joined hands with Atiku. And the Peter Obi you are talking about was Vice Presidential candidate to Atiku when I was presidential candidate in 2019.
“So, what are we talking about? 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.”