Sowore: Current Opposition Coalition Will Strengthen Tinubu’s Re-Election Bid, Not Challenge It

Former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has criticized ongoing opposition coalition talks, warning that the efforts are inadvertently boosting President Bola Tinubu’s chances of re-election in 2027 rather than challenging them.

Speaking during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television Tuesday evening, Sowore said the coalition lacks vision, ideological clarity, and integrity — factors he believes are necessary to build a credible alternative.

“It is what they [the coalition] are doing that will make it easy for him (Tinubu) to rerun and return to office,” Sowore said. “They are preventing the real, organic coalition of the oppressed from emerging. Nigerians actually think these guys are fighting for them — they’re not.”

Sowore dismissed the current political realignments as hollow and self-serving, calling them “lonely coalitions” without substance or direction. “Any coalition without ideology is a lonely coalition. There’s no coalition without conviction, character, or integrity,” he stated.

His comments come amid growing efforts by major political players to reposition for the 2027 presidential race. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, has been at the forefront of recent coalition talks. Atiku has reportedly held discussions with Labour Party’s Peter Obi and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who recently defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

However, signs of division persist. The PDP Governors’ Forum has distanced itself from the talks, citing internal party concerns, while Peter Obi has insisted he will not be part of any alliance built solely for power without clear governance reform goals.

Sowore urged Nigerians to look beyond elite coalitions and forge a new political path driven by the people themselves.

“The people need to understand that the only way out is the one they design for themselves,” he said. “If you keep getting distracted by these coalition conversations, you’ll find yourself in a worse place. That has been Nigeria’s story since the return of civil rule.”