Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has called Nigeria’s democracy “dead,” claiming the results of the 2027 elections have already been written.
In a recent interview with The Vanguard, Sowore didn’t hold back his criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government, warning Nigerians may soon long for the days of Muhammadu Buhari, whom Tinubu succeeded.
“My position on this government is not a thought—it’s a clear stance I’ve held long before the 2023 elections. Nigerians made a grave mistake voting Bola Tinubu into office. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: when Tinubu is done with this country, Nigerians will be begging to return to Buhari’s era. He has done irreparable damage—economically, socially, politically. He has crippled institutions, education, and democracy. Buhari killed Nigeria in eight years; Tinubu came, in two years he is burying it,” Sowore said.
As Nigeria prepares to mark Democracy Day, Sowore said there is nothing to celebrate.
He described the country as now living in a “sham democracy” where free speech, credible elections, and public trust have all collapsed.
“Nothing. In fact, what Nigerians are whispering—dangerously—is that they no longer believe in democracy. The promises of democracy—free speech, credible elections, freedom to choose—have been destroyed. Today, people celebrate military dictators just to express their frustration. But to be clear, I don’t support military rules. What we have now is a shambolic democracy. We’ve been taken on a roller coaster ride by both military and civilian rulers,” he said.
Reacting to a proposed compulsory voting law in the House of Representatives, Sowore slammed it as desperate and undemocratic.
“If you have to use threats to force people to vote, then democracy is dead. Democracy is about choice. You cannot force people to participate in a system they no longer believe in. That proposal is not about participation; it’s about forced legitimacy. They’re panicking because fewer people are voting, so they want to cook up numbers and call it turnout. The people making these laws already know I will stand against them. But they also know the law is not enforceable. You can’t force people to vote when you haven’t fixed the electoral process,” he said.
When asked about his perceived radicalism, Sowore dismissed the label, saying the real problem is that he’s “not radical enough.”
“I don’t think I’m radical enough. People who say that haven’t studied history. Every meaningful change in this world came through so-called radicals. I will not water down my convictions to please those who want me to fit into a box. The louder voices online don’t represent the majority of Nigerians. Those who truly suffer in this country know what I stand for—and they agree.”
On his #RevolutionNow movement, Sowore insisted it is still alive, pointing out that revolutions don’t happen overnight.
“Not at all. Revolutions take time. The French Revolution took over 10 years. The American Revolution, Cuban, Chinese revolutions all took time. You don’t judge a revolution by how loud it is. You judge it by how persistent the message is,” he said.
He also lamented what he described as the collapse of true opposition politics in Nigeria:
“That’s because what you call opposition isn’t opposition. Most of them are former APC or PDP members. They share the same ideology—or lack of one. Real opposition means clear ideological difference. What we have are political mercenaries looking for the best-paying camp,” he said. “Most of these defections are transactional. They’re not about values or service. If you dig deeper, you’ll realise they’re just fighting over how to share the loot, not about how to serve the people.”
When asked if he’ll run again in 2027, Sowore responded vaguely:
“I get this question a lot. My answer remains the same: I’ve never stopped running. Whether it’s a campaign, a protest, a court battle—I’m always running for something. But if you’re asking about elections, I don’t believe in the current ballot system. The 2027 results are already written. The only thing that can change Nigeria is rebellion against the system, against another sham election, not against democracy, anyway.”
Sowore went to state that his only true alliance is with the oppressed masses, particularly the tens of millions who don’t vote due to loss of faith in the system.
“The alliance I care about is with the oppressed. They are the real majority. The 50 million registered voters who don’t vote—they’re my alliance. Not transactional coalitions built to chase power and money.”
Lastly, when asked about some Nigerians believing Tinubu’s reforms are laying a foundation for national recovery, Sowore dismissed the belief.
“They are being deceived. There’s nothing good coming from this. Removing fuel subsidy, floating the naira—none of it benefits ordinary people. The naira is still collapsing. Prices are rising. If they say this is the ‘hard road to prosperity,’ I say it’s a road to destruction,” he said.