Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has described the ongoing political realignments and calls for coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections as hollow and self-serving.

He stated that political coalitions in Nigeria are often “vehicles created to carry the next set of thieves to win the national treasury,” rather than instruments of ideological unity.

His comment comes following the gale of defections sweeping through the ranks and strongholds of the opposition parties, Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party including some members of the ruling All Progressive Congress.

Speaking on the state of the nation and Nigeria’s political climate, in an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM Ilese-Ijebu, Sowore criticized the concept of political rascality, a term often weaponised by the political elite to describe his approach and his Revolution Now Movement.

In his defense, Sowore said “Political rascals are the ones who carry out political assassinations and engage in deplorable activities,” he said. “We are not rascals. Some politicians lash out and call us rascals only when they are angry and when we do not let them drain this country. Referring to people who are trying to fix the country as rascals, to me, is just a misguided thought”.

He also emphasized that the real coalition Nigeria needs is one that unites the oppressed and marginalized citizens whose voices have been stifled by decades of recycled leadership. Sowore’s remarks come amid rising speculations of a political shakeup ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Political parties are supposed to unite like-minded people. Ironically, those now calling for coalition are the same ones who rejected it during the last election. They’ve weakened themselves,” he stated.

However, Sowore, called for a complete break from Nigeria’s entrenched political order, urging citizens to reject the system that continually recycles corrupt leaders. Speaking on the need for political reform, Sowore asserted that dismantling the old guard requires cutting off the very pipeline that supplies the system with “rotten” politicians.

“When we want to break an old system, we need to jettison the pipeline that supply the rotten ones in the system. Nigerians have to take a collective decision about these old recycled rotten politicians”. He stressed that Nigerians must take a collective decision to end the dominance of recycled leadership if genuine change is to be achieved.

Sowore also addressed Nigeria’s electoral process, calling for a complete overhaul. “The biggest burden imposed on citizens is the voter’s card, which has to be renewed every four years,” he argued. “A national ID card, international passport, or driver’s license should be sufficient for voter registration.”

He further alleged that undistributed voter cards are used to rig elections and advocated for the introduction of electronic voting and the elimination of the current voter card system to help voters exercise their franchise instead of traveling to their hometown. “People vote on BBnaija from the comfort of their homes and we have not heard of rigging, why are we not employing technology yet? .“He questioned.

“The Voters card has now become a document need to validate identifications in banks and other places not even for voting because people do not see the need for it after the elections is over, so why print excess plastic cards at the expense of the national treasury.