Planned Coalition Aims Only To Re-Elect Tinubu – Sowore
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that Amid renewed opposition discussions ahead of the 2027 general elections, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has criticized emerging coalition efforts as lacking in vision and ideological depth, warning that they may ultimately bolster President Bola Tinubu’s chances of re-election rather than pose a genuine challenge.
“It is what they’re doing that will make it easy for Tinubu to run again and return to office,” Sowore said during a televised interview on Tuesday. “They are preventing a real, organic coalition of the oppressed from taking shape. Nigerians are being distracted — they actually think these guys are fighting for them.”
Sowore, a vocal critic of the political establishment, described the current coalition talks as superficial and devoid of ideological conviction.
“I’m not the lonely one — the coalition is what’s lonely. That’s why they can’t even organize proper meetings or agree on a party platform,” he said. “Now they’re talking about registering a new party — that’s not strategy, that’s desperation. Any coalition without ideology is a coalition without direction.”
His comments come as political realignments intensify ahead of the next presidential election. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 election, has been at the forefront of opposition consultations. He recently confirmed holding talks with Labour Party’s Peter Obi and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who recently defected from the ruling APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Despite these moves, the coalition appears far from unified. The PDP Governors’ Forum has publicly distanced itself from the initiative, expressing concern that the talks could destabilize the party internally. Similarly, Peter Obi has stated he will not join any alliance formed solely to seize power, insisting that any merger must address Nigeria’s systemic governance issues.
El-Rufai’s switch to the SDP has added to the political drama, though the SDP leadership has clarified that no formal alliance exists between the party and either El-Rufai or Atiku.
Presenting his own vision for Nigeria’s future, Sowore urged citizens to stop relying on traditional political elites and instead take ownership of the country’s direction.
“The only real solution is one designed by the people themselves,” he said. “If Nigerians continue to be distracted by empty coalition rhetoric, they’ll end up worse off. That’s been the pattern since the start of civil rule.”
According to Sowore, Nigeria still lacks true democracy.
“What we have is a transition to civil rule — not democracy,” he argued. “What we need now is genuine democratic governance.”
He also drew a sharp distinction between what he sees as authentic activism and opportunistic coalition-building.
“I lead the coalition of the oppressed — not the coalition of the hungry, which is what Amaechi and others represent,” Sowore said, taking a swipe at some of the prominent figures involved in the opposition discussions.
When asked whether Nigerians should place hope in the Tinubu administration amid deepening economic hardship, Sowore was blunt.
“No, and I’ve said this before: the more you hope in this government, the more you lose. Nigerians should not be in this situation,” he said.
“There’s nothing to look forward to. Everything that will happen in the next two years already happened in the last two. I’m not a prophet of doom, but if this trajectory continues, there will be no meaningful governance ahead.”
