Omoyele Sowore, former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, has warned that the ongoing coalition talks among opposition parties might actually help President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid instead of challenging it. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Sowore criticized the current efforts, saying they lack clear vision and strong principles. He believes these coalitions are distracting Nigerians from real change and stopping a genuine movement of the oppressed from rising.

“They are making it easier for Tinubu to get re-elected. Nigerians are being fooled into thinking these groups are fighting for them, but they’re not,” Sowore said. He went on to describe the coalitions as empty and without any real purpose or ideology. “I’m not the only one who sees this — the coalition itself is isolated. They can’t even hold meetings properly or agree on a party to join. Now they want to register a new party, which just shows how disconnected they are. Any coalition without strong beliefs and integrity is bound to fail,” he added.

Sowore’s comments come amid shifting alliances ahead of Nigeria’s next presidential election. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been pushing for opposition unity, engaging in talks with Labour Party’s Peter Obi and Nasir El-Rufai, who recently left the APC for the Social Democratic Party. However, these talks have faced resistance, with the PDP Governors’ Forum distancing themselves, worried it could destabilize their party. Peter Obi has also insisted he won’t join any coalition formed just to seize power, saying any alliance must focus on solving Nigeria’s deep-rooted governance issues.

Sowore urged Nigerians to stop relying on political elites and take control of their own future. “The people need to realize that real change will only happen when they design it themselves. If you keep getting distracted by these coalition talks, you’ll end up worse off than before. That has been Nigeria’s story since civil rule began,” he said.