Former African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has criticized the Labour Party and its 2023 flagbearer, Peter Obi, describing them as a temporary political arrangement lacking the resolve to challenge Nigeria’s entrenched political establishment.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources on Sunday, Sowore argued that Obi should not be considered a genuine opposition figure.
“But in terms of real opposition, I don’t know why anybody refers to Peter Obi as an opposition. He is not opposed to anything the government is doing. He didn’t organise his supporters to fight for the election victory he claimed.
“He said nothing when fuel prices were increased. He hasn’t done anything that an opposition figure typically does,” he said.
Sowore further dismissed assertions that Obi remains the most prominent opposition figure ahead of the 2027 elections. He reiterated doubts he voiced during the 2022–2023 campaign season about Obi’s ability to disrupt the existing political system.
“My position in 2022 and 2023 is what is unfolding now — that contrary to the impression created that Peter Obi was opposed to the system and capable of challenging it, he is, in fact, incapable of doing so.
“I also said at the time that the Labour Party was a short rental — what they call Airbnb in America. You move in; you check out when your time expires. When they are done with Peter Obi, they’ll move the rental to someone else. Maybe Obi doesn’t want to move out now, rightly or wrongly, or maybe he’s staying for show,” Sowore added.
He attributed Obi’s popularity in 2023 to religious sentiments that emerged in response to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“There was this whole debate around the Muslim-Muslim ticket, so Christians responded by saying, ‘If you want to Islamise Nigeria, we’ll Christianise it too’. And who was the most available Christian candidate? Peter Obi,” he said.
Sowore emphasized that authentic opposition must be rooted in action and resistance — qualities he believes Obi has not demonstrated.
“If you say you’re opposition, you must act like it. You had six million people vote for you — if you can’t put all of them on the streets, at least put 60,000 in Abuja and see how seriously the government will take you. You are the ones pouring cold water on protests because you don’t want real change — you just want to replace Tinubu’s group with your own group,” he stated.
He also took a swipe at Labour Party lawmakers, accusing them of aligning with the APC rather than representing an alternative.
“Look at all the Labour Party people in the National Assembly — they’re not decamping back to where they came from. They’re decamping to the APC. That’s the point; these guys are not real. They weren’t real in 2023, and they won’t be in 2027,” he said.
In response, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, dismissed Sowore’s remarks in a phone interview with Channels Television, asserting that Obi’s relevance remains significant.
“So, the question we want to ask is this: when someone is not a worthy opposition, why do you keep talking about him? As we stand today in Nigerian politics, if they don’t talk about Peter Obi, none of them gets traction. None.
“Whether he goes to the toilet, speaks, or makes a statement, it becomes news. That’s the level of Peter Obi’s relevance in today’s political dispensation,” Tanko said.
He also criticised Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s recent comments on Obi during a valedictory session for the late Chief Edwin Clark.
“To a point that Peter Obi was discussed at a valedictory service by no less a person than the Senate President — not even on national policy, but on character assassination. That says a lot,” he added.
Tanko urged critics to focus on their own political agendas while affirming continued support for Obi’s vision.
“They should allow Peter Obi to continue doing what he’s doing — challenging the establishment for the interests of the Nigerian people, which he will continue to do, and which we will continue to support,” he said.
