The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has responded to criticism from the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, by recalling how he allegedly helped the politician secure admission into the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
Sowore made the claim in a post on X on Thursday, a day after Basiru described him as a skit maker and comedian during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
In his response, the activist said Basiru had been expelled from the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) in 1992 over his involvement in student activism before seeking admission into UNILAG.
Sowore also shared a photograph of himself with Basiru from 1998, when he was leading the Congress of Progressive Youths (COPY) in campaigns against military rule.
According to Sowore, he and other activists helped Basiru and Kunle Adegoke, popularly known as K-Rad and now a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), find a pathway back into university.
He said the pair were given support to apply for admission and study law at UNILAG, where they eventually graduated.
“I received him alongside Kunle Adegoke, popularly known as K-Rad, who is now a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. We provided them with an enabling environment to apply to re-enter the university, gain admission, and study Law at the University of Lagos,” Sowore said.
The AAC candidate also challenged Basiru’s remarks about the 2023 presidential election, in which the APC’s Bola Tinubu was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Sowore rejected the suggestion that opposition candidates should feel ashamed of losing the election, arguing that political activism should not be reduced to entertainment or comedy.
He maintained that the pursuit of justice, democracy, freedom and human dignity remained a serious responsibility.
“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,” he said.
Sowore further argued that political offices and appointments were temporary, expressing confidence that the Tinubu administration would eventually leave office, just as previous military governments had ended.
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He criticised those he accused of abandoning the principles they once defended during the struggle against military dictatorship.
“What is truly comical is watching yesterday’s beneficiaries of resistance become today’s defenders of the very oppression they once fought against,” he added.
The exchange followed Basiru’s dismissal of Sowore’s request to launch his 2027 presidential campaign at the Presidential Villa, during which the APC official questioned the AAC candidate’s electoral strength.