Activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has fired a pointed critique at the political pressure tactics used by some parties in Nigeria, questioning their relevance four years after the 2022 political campaigns. Watch This Now.
The comments, reported by Symfoni TV on Monday, March 16, 2026, have reignited debates about political loyalty, citizen choice, and the culture of intimidation in Nigerian politics.
Sowore directly asked, “Where is the political party that they said if you don’t join in 2022, you are an enemy of Nigeria?”, highlighting the intense pressure some Nigerians faced to align with certain movements ahead of the 2023 elections. According to him, such campaigns created unnecessary divisions and forced ordinary citizens to declare political loyalty under duress.
He stressed that political participation should remain voluntary, not a measure of patriotism or national loyalty. Sowore also pointed out that many political movements surge during elections but often lose influence afterward, leaving supporters disappointed.
Using the example of Peter Obi and the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, he noted that some political campaigns generate short-term excitement but fail to deliver lasting accountability or meaningful policy impact. Sowore urged citizens to focus on long-term values, transparency, and genuine leadership rather than temporary hype during campaigns.
His statements have sparked heated discussions across social media and among political analysts, challenging Nigerians to rethink how political loyalty is measured and how opposition movements should be evaluated.
What do you think? Should political parties stop pressuring citizens to join, or is this just part of Nigerian politics?
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— Reported by Naijaonpoint Global Desk