Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, has called out the former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi over his record in office, saying Obi failed to adequately support education and other public services during his tenure.
Sowore spoke on Monday at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he challenged former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi about their records in government.
During a discussion on fuel subsidy, Sowore said politicians who want to lead Nigeria should explain their past performance instead of claiming to solve problems they did not fix while in office.
He also questioned Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State, pointing to long strikes by lecturers and doctors.
“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 these remarks while criticising politicians who, he said, once supported removing the fuel subsidy but are now trying to avoid responsibility for the policy’s effects.
He said he has always opposed removing the subsidy, arguing that different governments have done it before and promised Nigerians the economy would get better.
Sowore also claimed that the political elite have gained from higher government revenues after the petrol subsidy was removed, while regular Nigerians still face economic hardship.
“The question about subsidies is: Who are you subsidising? You are subsidising the elite. You are subsidising the government,” he said.
He also said the subsidy debate is closely linked to the country’s transportation system. According to him, Nigerians could have been shielded from rising fuel prices if past governments had offered efficient and affordable public transport.
Sowore then criticised Amaechi, the former minister, for the railway projects carried out while he was in office. He argued that these projects did not bring the expected benefits to Nigerians.
He also pointed out that Amaechi admitted that many politicians who want power have already held public office but failed to bring about real change.
Sowore said politicians who have already governed should apologise to Nigerians instead of trying to return to power without explaining their past actions.
“There are no people coming back. You guys should be apologising to the Nigerian people,” he said.
The AAC candidate has repeatedly positioned himself as an alternative to Nigeria’s established political figures ahead of the 2027 presidential election, insisting that politicians who have previously occupied public offices should be judged by their records in government