Omoyele Sowore, human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, has declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Action Congress.
Sowore, 55, made the declaration on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, confirming that the AAC will hold its primaries next week.
“I plan to contest the 2027 presidency. We have our party primaries next week,” Sowore said when asked if he would run in 2027.
When questioned whether he would emerge as the party’s sole candidate, Sowore deferred the decision to the AAC leadership.
“Well, let the party decide who their candidates are,” he said.
This will mark the third time Sowore is seeking Nigeria’s presidency on the AAC platform, having previously contested in the 2019 and 2023 general elections.
A fresh alternative to the establishment
Sowore said his presidential ambition is aimed at providing Nigerians with what he described as a genuine alternative to the country’s mainstream political establishment.
He argued that prominent politicians, including President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Seyi Makinde and Rotimi Amaechi, have contributed to Nigeria’s worsening poverty, insecurity and economic hardship.
“All the ideas of the people you mentioned brought Nigeria into this cycle of poverty, insecurity, pain, sorrow, and tears,” Sowore said.
He insisted that he brings better ideas for the country and that Nigeria needs a complete break from the ideas and leadership style of the established political class.
“It’s different because these are different times also. Times are harder. Nigeria is in bigger trouble,” he said.
Sowore maintained that all political parties are equal and that better candidates with fresh ideas should be able to win elections in the country.
“I am running to win,” he declared.
INEC digital registration and court ruling
Sowore addressed the ongoing digital membership registration exercise directed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, noting that the AAC has not yet submitted its final register to the commission.
He referenced a recent court judgment that permits political parties to reopen their registration portals after submission.
“We haven’t finally submitted, and that’s what this court judgment says. So if you have submitted now, the court says you can reopen your portal and start again. But we never stopped anyway,” Sowore explained.
The activist highlighted the AAC’s pioneering role in digital registration, noting that the party began online membership registration in 2018, before other parties adopted the practice.
He also claimed that during the 2022 registration exercise, the AAC was the only party that submitted a complete party register to INEC.
Political positioning
Over the years, Sowore has consistently positioned himself as a radical alternative in Nigerian politics, repeatedly criticising both the ruling All Progressives Congress and opposition parties over the country’s economic and security challenges.
In 2019, Sowore led the #RevolutionNow nationwide protest movement, for which he was arrested by the Department of State Services in August on allegations of treason. In March 2022, a Federal High Court declared his 2019 arrest illegal and ordered the DSS to pay him N1 million in damages.
His 2023 presidential outing under the AAC banner recorded minimal votes nationally, but supporters view his repeated candidacies as a consistent challenge to the political establishment and a voice for systemic change.
The 2027 general election is tentatively scheduled with the presidential and National Assembly votes set for 16 January 2027, followed by governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
