The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has explained his absence from the opposition parties’ summit held in Ibadan, Oyo State, distancing himself from the gathering and its participants.
Opposition figures across multiple political parties had converged on Ibadan on Saturday to deliberate on strategies ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Among those present were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, and former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi.
Also in attendance were former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Senate President David Mark, alongside other political stakeholders.
Despite the high-profile turnout, Sowore was notably absent.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, he dismissed the summit as an attempt by familiar political actors to rebrand themselves, insisting that Nigeria requires a genuine alternative rather than what he termed “recycled failures.”
He criticised participants at the meeting, describing them as individuals who “held Nigeria to ransom for years, presiding over stagnation, corruption, and systemic decay.”
Sowore further stated that the AAC would not align with such efforts. “will not be part of any charade designed to recycle failed political actors under the guise of “opposition”.
“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
“Nigeria does not need a rearrangement of the same broken pieces, it needs a complete break from the past,” he added.
