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‘If You Can't Put 60,000 People On The Streets, You're Not Serious About Opposition’ –Sowore Dismisses Peter Obi’s Political Relevance, Calls LP 'Short Rental' Party

Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has said Peter Obi and the Labour Party do not represent real political opposition in Nigeria.Nigerian fashion

Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources on Sunday, Sowore dismissed Obi’s political relevance as a temporary phenomenon that failed to challenge the ruling elite.

Obi was the candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election.

“In terms of real opposition, I don’t know why anybody refers to Peter Obi as one. He hasn’t fought for the mandate he claimed or mobilised his supporters,” Sowore said, criticising the former Anambra governor for failing to speak out against key national issues like fuel price hikes.

Reiterating his long-held view, Sowore described the Labour Party as a “short rental” political platform.

“What they call Airbnb in America. You move in, check out when your time expires. When they’re done with Peter Obi, they’ll move it to someone else,” he said.

Sowore further suggested Obi’s popularity during the 2023 elections was rooted in religious sentiment sparked by the APC’s controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket.

He challenged Obi’s supporters, saying, “If you can’t put 60,000 people in the streets, then you’re not serious about opposition.”

The AAC leader also questioned the loyalty of Labour Party lawmakers, alleging they are gravitating towards the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“These guys were not real in 2023, and they won’t be in 2027,” he declared.

In swift response, the Obidient Movement dismissed Sowore’s comments as baseless.

Its National Coordinator, Yunusa Tanko, defended Obi’s continued influence, stating that his every move still shapes national discourse.

“If Peter Obi is not a threat, why do they always talk about him? Whether he speaks or breathes, it makes news. That’s relevance,” Tanko said during a phone interview with Channels Television.

Tanko also slammed Senate President Godswill Akpabio for referencing Obi during a recent valedictory session, saying, “It wasn’t about national policy, just an attempt at character assassination.”

He affirmed the movement’s continued support for Obi, saying, “They should focus on their campaigns. Obi will continue challenging the establishment, and we will back him.”

https://saharareporters.com/2025/05/12/if-you-cant-put-60000-people-streets-youre-not-serious-about-opposition-sowore-dismisses?fbclid=IwY2xjawKOry9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHt0ya4FHpG5IgsXcwqKpltNK7saHWtBLCk4YcQyUr96Sdk-Zsigcfw9OINvA_aem_33FPmL-361cPqwZgJm4QLw

Toh

Short rental.

“What they call Airbnb"

Jealous go kill Omoyele Sowore. I used to think these kinds were true activists back then during the June-12 1993 struggles. History have exposed them for who they truly -enemies of the people who weaponize identity and tradition to cover up incompetence, corruption, and betrayal.

These so-called activists live among us. They face the same poverty, frustration, insecurity, and decay that the rest of us endure. They are mere tools, paid sloganeers, useful only during elections and discarded afterward.

Racoon:
Jealous go kill Omoyele Sowore. I used to think these kinds were true activists back then during the June-12 1993 struggles. History have exposed them for who they truly are as the true enemies of the people who weaponize identity and tradition to cover up incompetence, corruption, and betrayal.

These so-called activists live among us. They face the same poverty, frustration, insecurity, and decay that the rest of us endure. They are mere tools, paid sloganeers, useful only during elections and discarded afterward.

you'll be shocked if tomorrow he starts shaking Obi's hands with a wild smile.
seems you dont understand these guys yet

k

Sowore is in pain because Peter Obi has taken most of the voters who he thought would support him. Sowore, Peter Obi doesn't believe in using violence to win elections. That's why he's popular among the educated and exposed middle class

Omoyele Sowore’s remark is not only laughably simplistic but also a glaring display of political naivety. If Sowore’s shallow metric for measuring opposition strength is street protests rather than electoral impact, then he has fundamentally misunderstood the dynamics of modern Nigerian politics.

Peter Obi, in the 2023 presidential election, secured over 6 million votes, a feat achieved despite a deeply flawed electoral process, widespread voter suppression, and the might of two entrenched political dynasties (APC and PDP) arrayed against him. Those 6 million votes were not just numbers; they represented millions of Nigerians who, without coercion or monetary inducement, chose Obi as their preferred leader. If Sowore thinks that mobilizing 60,000 people for a street protest is a greater achievement than inspiring millions to vote against the status quo, then his definition of "serious opposition" is tragically warped.

Sowore’s fixation on street protests as the ultimate test of opposition credibility reeks of performative activism rather than strategic political engagement. Protests, while important, are not the sole measure of a movement’s strength. Real change in a democracy is achieved through a combination of mass mobilization, electoral viability, and policy advocacy, not just by filling streets for photo ops. If Sowore believes that Obi’s millions of votes and the ongoing grassroots movement he has galvanized are irrelevant because they don’t conform to his narrow protest-centric approach, then perhaps it is Sowore who isn’t serious about winning power, only about performing dissent.

Instead of issuing condescending ultimatums to a man who has clearly demonstrated broader appeal, Sowore should reflect on why his own brand of activism has failed to translate into significant electoral success. Opposition is not just about noise; it’s about numbers, strategy and sustained engagement areas where Peter Obi has outshone many, including Sowore.

If Sowore truly wants a stronger opposition, he should focus on building alliances rather than gatekeeping activism with arbitrary crowd quotas. Otherwise, his comments will be remembered as yet another example of how ego and misplaced militancy can undermine the very cause he claims to champion.

helinues:
Toh

You too toh ok.

....He has attacked the "messiah..." His disciples will not take it lightly!

If Peter Obi can't be president in 2027
Tinubu should continue

Tinubu is even more welcoming to Igbos than Buhari

Do you know Buhari never visited Anambra as President

Racoon:
Jealous go kill Omoyele Sowore. I used to think these kinds were true activists back then during the June-12 1993 struggles. History have exposed them for who they truly are as the true enemies of the people who weaponize identity and tradition to cover up incompetence, corruption, and betrayal.

These so-called activists live among us. They face the same poverty, frustration, insecurity, and decay that the rest of us endure. They are mere tools, paid sloganeers, useful only during elections and discarded afterward.

Jealous ones still envy. Ignore the man called Omoyele.

Lol. Comical to see Obi fans attacking Sowore who they praised to high heavens previously. Especially when Sowore led protests, last August, they believed would topple Jagaban.

What confirms Obidients as irredeemably toxic and bigoted folks than this attack on Sowore because, rightly, he criticises their messiah?

This behaviour shows why Obidients are condemned as intolerantly toxic and fascist nuisances only interested in the realisation of Igbo Presidency by any means possible.