Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), says he turned down an invitation to the National Opposition Summit in Ibadan, describing it as an effort by established political figures to “rebrand themselves.”
Opposition figures met in Ibadan over the weekend and agreed to pursue a united front, including the possibility of presenting a single presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The emerging coalition is said to involve the African Democratic Congress (ADC), reportedly led by David Mark, a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chaired by Kabiru Turaki, and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
Responding via social media, Sowore said he intentionally stayed away from the gathering, arguing that politicians linked to years of stagnation and corruption cannot credibly reposition themselves as agents of change.
“I declined the Ibadan ‘Opposition Summit’. Nigerians deserve a genuine alternative, not recycled failure,” he wrote.
He added that he sees no reason to trust that the same political actors who contributed to the country’s challenges can now present themselves as defenders of the people.
Sowore also maintained that the AAC would not participate in what he described as a political charade aimed at repackaging failed politicians under the banner of opposition politics.
He stressed that Nigeria’s problems require a clean break from the current political structure, rather than a reshuffling of familiar faces.
