Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) , says Peter Obi, flagbearer of Labour Party (LP), is not the “right candidate” for presidency.
Sowore spoke on Friday in an interview on Channels Television.
The candidacy of Obi, a former Anambra governor, is currently witnessing growing support, especially on social media.
On several occasions, supporters of Obi, better known as ‘Obidents’, have clashed with some Nigerians, including Sowore, who have expressed divergent views on social media.
Speaking on what he thinks of Obi’s candidacy, Sowore said the former governor is part of the “old system” that he has always criticised.
The AAC presidential candidate said Obi is not his kind of “progressive” politician, while claiming that the LP candidate did not execute any project during his tenure as Anambra governor.
“Why would I see Peter Obi as a threat? Peter Obi is part of the old system that I have always fought,” he said.
“I understand where he is coming from. This is 1999 repeated; Nigeria wants change. Some young people who are genuinely interested in change are presented with somebody who works for the establishment; someone who was in PDP, APGA, came back to PDP and then LP. He is not new to a rotten system — somebody who spent eight years as governor of a state.
“You can be emotional about it but that is the truth. He did not build any school, industry and power station. He is not my kind of progressive.
“Anybody who has been in government for eight years that has nothing to show for it is not my right candidate for Nigeria.”
Asked why he is being perceived as “harsh” towards Obi’s supporters, Sowore said he only spoke against the harassment of people who are not supporting the LP candidate.
“My first intervention that was considered harsh was Reno Omokri — someone who has done everything in this world to lie against me. But when it comes to his fundamental rights, and he has a one-year-old daughter who he said was genuinely threatened, I came in and said ‘this is wrong; we shouldn’t be threatening a one-year-old girl. Nobody shouldn’t be threatened’.”
