2027: Sowunmi Demands Policy Details of Obi’s Campaign

As political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Convener of the Alternative Movement, Segun Sowunmi, has questioned the details behind some of the policy proposals being canvassed by former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Sowunmi, who spoke on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, described Obi as a “master of empty campaign,” arguing that some of his campaign messages required clearer explanations on implementation, funding and timelines.

The comments came during a discussion on whether the performance of the Bola Tinubu administration had strengthened the political campaigns of Obi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Sowunmi argued that part of Obi’s political appeal was linked to demands for greater political equity for the South-East, which he noted had not produced a president in the current republic.

“For all of this filibustering, jumping here, jumping there, the greatest thing you can bring to the table emotionally is the need for us to do equity for the South-East,” he said.

However, he questioned some of Obi’s claims about his record in office as Anambra governor, particularly assertions concerning the state’s financial obligations.

Sowunmi said successive administrations in the state had disputed Obi’s claims that his government did not leave debts.

“All his successors from time have been saying that’s not the true position of thing,” he said, while acknowledging that the issue had generated disagreements between Obi and his successors.

‘What is he campaigning on?’

 

Sowunmi’s major criticism centred on what he considered a lack of operational details in some of Obi’s campaign proposals.

“In any case, what is he campaigning on? Peter is a master of campaigning on a prose that he doesn’t even know how to construct,” he said.

He particularly questioned Obi’s emphasis on moving Nigeria from a consumption-driven economy to one focused more heavily on production.

According to Sowunmi, such a policy proposition requires concrete answers on how it would be financed, implemented and measured.

He also challenged Obi’s arguments concerning the agricultural potential of Niger State, asking how a future government would provide incentives and persuade Nigerians to engage in farming on the scale envisaged.

“By what magic is he going to force them to the farm? By what magic is he going to ensure? By what magic is he going to do the incentive? What is the cost component of what he’s trying to do? What is the time frame by which he will implement it?” he asked.

National Assembly, bureaucracy

Sowunmi further argued that presidential campaign promises must take into account Nigeria’s constitutional and institutional processes.

He noted that the implementation of major policies would involve the National Assembly, which must appropriate funds through the budget process, as well as the civil service responsible for executing government programmes.

“He will not consider that he’s going to have a National Assembly that has to pass the budget. He will not consider the bureaucracy,” Sowunmi said.

The comments come as Obi, Atiku and other opposition figures intensify political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.

Sowunmi has also recently expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s bid for another term, placing his latest criticism of Obi within an increasingly active political debate over the competing programmes and records of prospective presidential contenders.