African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has criticised former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi over his record in office, arguing that he cannot present himself as the solution to Nigeria’s problems without accounting for his performance as governor.
Sowore spoke on Monday at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he also criticised former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi over their records in government.
During a discussion on petrol subsidy, Sowore argued that politicians seeking the presidency should be judged by their previous performance in public office rather than their promises to solve problems they allegedly failed to address in the past.
He particularly questioned Obi’s record during his time as Anambra governor, citing prolonged strikes involving lecturers and doctors in the state.
“Who refused to subsidise your people? Peter Obi did not subsidise education in his state. Lecturers and doctors went on strike for 13 months,” Sowore said.
“You may like him as a president, but he did not perform as a governor.”
Sowore made the remarks while criticising politicians who, according to him, previously supported the removal of the petrol subsidy but are now attempting to distance themselves from the consequences of the policy.
The AAC candidate maintained that he had consistently opposed subsidy removal, arguing that successive administrations had repeatedly scrapped the policy while assuring Nigerians that the economy would improve.
Sowore criticises subsidy policy
Sowore also accused Nigeria’s political elite of benefiting from increased government revenue following the removal of the petrol subsidy, while ordinary Nigerians continued to bear the resulting economic burden.
“The question about subsidies is: Who are you subsidising? You are subsidising the elite. You are subsidising the government,” he said.
He argued that the subsidy debate should also take into account Nigeria’s transportation system, saying Nigerians would have been better protected from rising fuel costs if successive governments had developed efficient and affordable public transportation.
Sowore challenges Amaechi over projects
Turning his attention to Amaechi, Sowore criticised the former minister over railway projects undertaken during his tenure, arguing that they had failed to deliver the expected benefits to Nigerians.
He also referred to Amaechi’s acknowledgement that several politicians seeking power had previously held public offices without achieving the level of transformation Nigerians expected.
Sowore said politicians who had previously governed should apologise to Nigerians and account for their records instead of returning to seek political power.
“There are no people coming back. You guys should be apologising to the Nigerian people,” he said.
Sowore has continued to position himself as an alternative to Nigeria’s established political figures ahead of the 2027 presidential election, arguing that politicians who have previously occupied public offices should be assessed based on their records and achievements in government.
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