Human rights advocate and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), of covertly controlling nearly all opposition political parties in the country, declaring that only his party, the African Action Congress (AAC), remains truly independent.
Speaking during an appearance on Rubbin’ Minds, a Channels Television programme aired on Sunday, Sowore claimed that the majority of registered opposition parties in Nigeria are merely “special-purpose vehicles” created or funded by the APC to manipulate electoral outcomes and simulate democratic diversity.
“What we found out in our little research is that most of the parties that are left, apart from AAC, are parties that were created by the major parties,” he said. “They call them feeder parties or special-purpose vehicles.”
Sowore alleged that these parties often serve tactical roles for the APC during elections—particularly in the filing of court cases which, he claims, are later “settled” behind closed doors in the ruling party’s favor.
“Sometimes, some of the candidates or the parties are meant to help them with legal challenge,” Sowore explained. “So they all go and challenge the election, and whomever has won would approach either the opposition party or the smaller parties and settle them. Everybody gets paid and walks away.”
He further condemned the conduct of these so-called opposition groups at official electoral meetings, alleging that many behave like allies of the APC rather than independent voices advocating reform.
“The people that oppose us the most when we go to meetings are these other smaller parties that you think are in the opposition,” he said.
When asked if his criticism extended to more prominent parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), Sowore did not hold back.
“Labour Party is the worst,” he declared.
According to him, most LP members were never ideologically committed to opposition politics and quickly returned to the APC fold after benefiting from political opportunities within the party.
“That’s why I refer to the Labour Party as a short rental,” he said. “Most of them that went to Labour Party saw an opportunity. They were coming from either PDP or APC. They walked in there, grabbed power, and then the moment they had the booty bag, they went back to where they’re coming from.”
Sowore’s remarks further underline his longstanding position that Nigeria’s democratic system is compromised by elite collusion and that real opposition is being systematically neutralized. With 18 registered political parties currently recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sowore insists only the AAC stands apart.