Sowore Fires Back! “Yesterday’s Activist, Today’s Defender Of Oppression” — APC’s Basiru Comes Under Fire
By Passman Akpos
Omoyele Sowore, African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has responded to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, after the party chieftain described him as a “skit maker” and “comedian” during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television anchored by Seun Okinbaloye.
Sowore, in a strongly worded response, recalled his longstanding relationship with Basiru during their involvement in the struggle against military dictatorship, arguing that the fight for democracy, justice and human dignity should not be ridiculed because of electoral outcomes or political disagreements.
The controversy followed Basiru’s remarks about Sowore’s request to use the Presidential Villa for the inauguration of his party’s 2027 presidential campaign council.
Basiru reportedly challenged Sowore to first demonstrate his political relevance by securing a seat in a State House of Assembly, adding that even rejected ballot papers received more votes than Sowore’s party in the 2023 general election.
“Sowore is a skit maker. Let him struggle to even get a seat in the House of Assembly as a politician, and then people will begin to take him seriously,” Basiru said.
The APC National Secretary also questioned the political significance of Sowore’s electoral performance, using the comparison with rejected ballot papers to reinforce his criticism.
Sowore Recalls Their Shared Activist Past
In his response, Sowore said he watched Basiru’s interview and was disappointed by the description, particularly because of their shared history in the pro-democracy movement.
To support his account, Sowore presented a photograph he said he took with Basiru in 1998, when he led the Congress of Progressive Youths (COPY) and both men were involved in resistance against military dictatorship.
Sowore suggested that their experience during the struggle offered a different perspective on Basiru’s present political position.
“What eventually happened to COPY offered an early indication of what Ajibola has become today, but that is a story for another day,” Sowore stated.
He, however, did not provide further details about the circumstances surrounding COPY in the statement.
How Sowore Said He Helped Basiru Enter UNILAG
Sowore also recalled how Basiru came to the University of Lagos following his expulsion from the University of Ilorin in 1992 over student activism, according to Sowore’s account.
He said he received Basiru alongside Kunle Adegoke, popularly known as K-Rad, who later became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
According to Sowore, he and others provided the two men with an enabling environment to apply for readmission, gain admission to study Law at the University of Lagos and complete their education.
Sowore said both men eventually graduated successfully and went on to achieve significant professional milestones.
He used the recollection to argue that the solidarity demonstrated during their youth should not be dismissed as comedy or entertainment.
“The struggle for justice, democracy, freedom and the preservation of human dignity is neither skit-making nor comedy,” Sowore said.
He added that Basiru understood the importance of the struggle because he had once participated in it and benefited from the solidarity of those who opposed military rule.
‘Political Appointments Are Temporary’
The AAC chieftain accused Basiru of allowing the privileges associated with his current political position to overshadow the principles they once defended together.
Sowore maintained that political appointments and governments were temporary, while the struggle for justice and freedom extended beyond individual administrations.
“It is unfortunate that he has become so carried away by the fleeting privileges of his current political position that he now ridicules the very struggle that helped shape his own future,” he said.
He further argued that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would eventually leave office, just as the military regimes confronted by pro-democracy activists had come to an end.
“Political appointments are temporary. Tinubu’s regime will come and go, just like the military regimes we confronted in our youth. The principles we fought for in 1994 remain as relevant today as they were then,” Sowore stated.
He insisted that his commitment to justice had endured for decades and would outlast Basiru’s current political appointment.
Disagreement Over Sowore’s 2027 Campaign Plans
The exchange also highlights the disagreement surrounding Sowore’s request to use the Presidential Villa for the inauguration of his 2027 presidential campaign council.
Basiru’s criticism focused on Sowore’s electoral performance and his standing in Nigerian politics, while Sowore’s response centred on the history of their pro-democracy activism and the enduring importance of democratic principles.
The disagreement raises questions about the relationship between electoral success, political legitimacy and the contributions of activists who challenge established political institutions.
While Basiru pointed to Sowore’s performance in the 2023 election to question his political relevance, Sowore argued that electoral outcomes should not be used to trivialise the struggle for democratic freedoms.
Sowore: ‘The Struggle For Freedom Is Not Comedy’
Concluding his response, Sowore said the real irony was that individuals who once benefited from resistance against oppression could later become defenders of the political establishment they previously challenged.
“The struggle for freedom is not comedy. What is truly comical is watching yesterday’s beneficiaries of resistance become today’s defenders of the very oppression they once fought against,” he said.
Neither the APC National Secretary’s electoral criticism nor Sowore’s account of their shared activist history resolves the wider political disagreement over the AAC leader’s request to use the Presidential Villa.
The exchange has nevertheless brought their contrasting views on electoral relevance, political power and the legacy of Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement into public discussion.
The central question is whether a politician’s electoral performance should determine how seriously the public takes his political views, or whether democratic activism and the principles a person advocates should also form part of that assessment.
