2027: Sowunmi Calls Peter Obi ‘Master of Empty Campaign’

Segun Sowunmi, convener of the Alternative Movement, has criticised the campaign messaging of Peter Obi, describing the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a “master of empty campaign.”
Sowunmi made the remarks during an appearance on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, where he discussed the 2027 presidential contest and whether the performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration had strengthened the campaigns of opposition figures, including Obi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
According to Sowunmi, a significant part of Obi’s political appeal is connected to calls for political equity for the South-East, which he noted has 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, because they have not been president, at least in this republic,” he said.

Sowunmi also questioned some of Obi’s claims about his record as governor of Anambra State, particularly issues surrounding the state’s financial obligations under successive administrations.
He said claims attributed to Obi that his administration did not leave debts had been challenged by subsequent administrations, while acknowledging that the matter has remained part of an ongoing political debate.
“All his successors from time have been saying that’s not the true position of thing,” Sowunmi said, while adding that he did not consider all of Obi’s claims to be correct.
The Alternative Movement convener subsequently turned his attention to what he described as a lack of specific 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,” Sowunmi said.
He specifically referred to Obi’s emphasis on moving Nigeria from consumption to production, arguing that the policy direction requires more details on how it would be implemented, financed and delivered within a defined timeframe.

Sowunmi questioned how proposals for expanding agricultural production, including those concerning Niger State, would work in practice. He asked how farmers would be incentivised, what the financial cost would be and how long implementation would take.
“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.
He further argued that presidential campaign promises must take into account Nigeria’s constitutional and institutional structures, including the role of the National Assembly in passing budgets and the bureaucracy involved in implementing government policies.
Obi, meanwhile, has continued to campaign around a “production-first” agenda. His campaign materials and recent public appearances have highlighted economic production, institutional reforms and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on consumption.
The exchange comes as political parties and presidential contenders intensify preparations and public engagements ahead of the 2027 general election.
Sowunmi has also recently expressed support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid, saying he believes the administration’s economic direction should be maintained.
The comments on Obi’s campaign therefore form part of the wider political debate over the policies, records and implementation plans being presented by competing political actors ahead of the 2027 election.