By Ayobami Okerinde
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, have traded words as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election.
The exchange started after the AAC requested the venue for the inauguration of its Presidential Campaign Council on November 11, 2026, alongside food, drinks and logistical support for 5,000 participants, citing equal treatment of political parties.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Basiru questioned Sowore’s political relevance, challenging him to win a seat in a state House of Assembly before expecting to be taken seriously.
“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.
He also claimed that rejected ballot papers received more votes than the AAC in the 2023 general elections.
‘‘The struggle for freedom is not comedy’ — Sowore fires back at Basiru
Responding in a post on X on Wednesday, Sowore recalled his history with Basiru during the struggle against military rule in the 1990s, accusing the APC official of abandoning the democratic ideals they once defended.
Sowore shared a photograph of the pair taken in 1998, when he led the Congress of Progressive Youths, and said he received Basiru at the University of Lagos after his expulsion from the University of Ilorin in 1992.
He claimed that he and other activists, including Kunle Adegoke, popularly known as K-Rad, helped Basiru secure an opportunity to return to university and study law.
“The struggle for justice, democracy, freedom and the preservation of human dignity is neither skit-making nor comedy. Ajibola knows this because he was once part of that struggle and benefited from the solidarity of those who refused to surrender to military tyranny.
“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.”
Sowore added that political appointments were temporary, stating that President Tinubu’s administration would eventually leave office, just as previous military regimes had.
Basiru denies Sowore’s claim, says he gained UNILAG admission on merit
In a response posted on X on Thursday, Basiru rejected Sowore’s account, saying the two had no relationship before he gained admission to the University of Lagos to study law.
“I did not have any relationship with you before I got admitted to the University of Lagos. In fact, I got 310 in my UTME exam to gain admission to the University of Lagos and that was the best score for all applicants to the law faculty the year of my admission.”
He insisted that his admission was based on merit and maintained his description of Sowore as a comedian, questioning whether the AAC candidate believed he could win the presidency.
Basiru also accused Sowore of misleading young people by presenting himself as a revolutionary and freedom fighter.
“Leave your sanctimonious harangue to the unsuspecting young people you are lying to that you are a revolutionary or freedom fighter,” he concluded.
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