Sowore: Obi’s Praise for North Is Hypocrisy, He Repatriated Northerners as Governor

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has accused Peter Obi of hypocrisy over his recent remarks describing northern Nigeria as the country’s “greatest asset.”

Sowore said Obi’s comments were politically motivated and contradicted actions allegedly taken during his tenure as governor of Anambra State.

Obi, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had said the north holds enormous agricultural potential and should be prioritised for development.

“Our greatest asset is in the north. The vast, uncultivated land in the north is our future. We can make more money as a country from agriculture than we make from oil, and we must begin to do that immediately,” Obi said.

Reacting, Sowore dismissed the remarks as insincere, arguing that Obi was attempting to court northern support.

“If you go to the north, yes, we can turn the north into the greatest assets, but every Nigeria can be turned into the greatest assets. Every inch of Nigeria,” Sowore said.

He went further to accuse Obi of contradicting his past actions.

“But Obi wants to belatedly start pleasing the north. Is it not the same Obi who put northerners inside buses and repatriated them to the north?” he said.

Sowore also alleged that Obi’s only notable engagement with northerners while in office was the repatriation of beggars.

“That time, he forgot that the north is the asset of Nigeria. Don’t let the hypocrite deceive you,” he added.

The activist argued that no region should be elevated above others, insisting all parts of the country possess economic value.

“The north is a great asset. The south is a great asset. The north-central, the south-west, and everywhere are great assets in the country,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria’s problem is rooted more in leadership failure than regional underdevelopment.

“The country is just waiting for leadership. You will be surprised that the north, south, everywhere will be churning out prosperity,” Sowore said.