₦airaland Forum

Sowore: I declined opposition summit invitation — Nigeria deserves break from recycled failure

Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 poll, says he turned down an invitation to attend the National Opposition Summit in

He described the event as an attempt by entrenched political figures to rebrand themselves without accountability for past governance failures.

Leaders of opposition political parties held the summit on Saturday.

Afterwards, the political parties announced plans to present a single presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

The parties include the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by David Mark, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction chaired by Kabiru Turaki, and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

In an X post on Sunday, Sowore said there was no need to pretend that politicians who had previously presided over “stagnation, corruption, and systemic decay” could credibly position themselves as agents of progress.

He said many Nigerians are aware of the nation’s political history and would not be persuaded by their efforts.

“I declined the Ibadan ‘Opposition summit’. Nigerians deserve a genuine alternative, not recycled failure,” he said.

“I was invited to attend the so-called ‘Opposition Summit’ in Ibadan, but I declined.

“There is no need to pretend that the same men (and a few women) who held Nigeria to ransom for years, presiding over stagnation, corruption, and systemic decay, can suddenly reinvent themselves as champions of progress or defenders of the people.

“Not all Nigerians are suffering from amnesia.”

The Sahara Reporters publisher said he would not participate in a coalition aimed at recycling discredited political actors under the banner of opposition politics.

Sowore said the AAC distances itself from the ruling establishment and opposition groups, adding that the party would mobilise nationwide for support.

“For the avoidance of doubt, our revolutionary party, the African Action Congress (@aacparty), will not be part of any charade designed to recycle failed political actors under the guise of ‘opposition,” he said.

“Instead, we are committed to presenting a formidable, people-driven alternative, one rooted in integrity, accountability, and genuine transformation.

“We will mobilize Nigerians across the country to rally behind a credible vision that rejects the decadence and deception represented by both the @OfficialAPCNg and their opportunistic counterparts in ADC, PDP, Labour Party, and elsewhere.”

Sowore added that “political challenges require a decisive break from existing structures instead of a rearrangement of the same broken pieces”.

jtjohn:
Sowore has a valid point about recycled leadership, but at the same time, unity among opposition parties could be strategic if the goal is to unseat the current system. The real issue is not just coalition, but whether those involved have truly changed and can offer accountability. Nigerians are watching beyond slogans.

yarimo:
Obidients will soon claim that Sowore's comment was a direct shot at Peter Obi.

yarimo:
Obidients will soon claim sowore comment was a direct shot at peter obi

jtjohn:
Sowore has a valid point about recycled leadership, but at the same time, unity among opposition parties could be strategic if the goal is to unseat the current system. The real issue is not just coalition, but whether those involved have truly changed and can offer accountability. Nigerians are watching beyond slogans.