African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has said he asked former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, to apologise following their heated exchange at the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
Sowore made this known during an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, August 25, while discussing the disagreement that occurred during the political session of the NBA conference a day earlier.
The AAC candidate said he believed Amaechi owed him an apology because he had spent years campaigning for democracy and good governance, which he said helped create the democratic system through which politicians such as Amaechi were able to attain public office.
According to Sowore, his political experience should not be judged only by whether he has previously occupied an elected or appointed government position. He said his years of activism and involvement in the struggle for democracy had given him another form of leadership experience.
Sowore recalled that he contacted Amaechi after their disagreement and asked him to apologise. He said Amaechi instead invited him to his residence, but he declined the invitation.
The confrontation between the two politicians occurred during Monday’s political discussion at the NBA conference, where Sowore questioned the records of some former public officials and criticised Amaechi’s performance as Rivers State governor and later as Minister of Transportation.
Sowore also questioned the impact of some railway projects linked to Amaechi’s time in government and connected the country’s transportation challenges to wider economic issues, including the fuel subsidy debate.
Amaechi, who is the African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, defended his record during the event. He pointed to projects carried out while he was governor of Rivers State, including roads and primary schools, as well as railway projects completed during his tenure as Transportation Minister.
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The exchange became heated after Amaechi told Sowore to remain quiet while politicians were speaking.
Sowore said the confrontation had not changed his view that his contribution to Nigeria’s democratic development should count as leadership experience. He argued that many politicians who later held important positions benefited from the democratic environment created through the struggles of activists.
The AAC presidential candidate also rejected the view that anyone seeking the presidency must first have experience working in government. He said effective leadership requires a clear vision, a strong sense of purpose and the ability to bring people with different skills together to achieve results.
Sowore further defended his long-standing opposition to the removal of fuel subsidy. He said he had warned against the policy before it was introduced, arguing that removing the subsidy without adequate measures to protect Nigerians would worsen economic hardship.
He claimed that the effects of the policy had supported the concerns raised by him and other critics before the subsidy was removed.
Sowore also criticised Amaechi personally, questioning the former governor’s record and saying he did not deserve to be addressed as an “Excellency” because, in his view, his achievements had not amounted to anything excellent for Nigeria.
The disagreement between the two politicians came as several political figures, including Peter Obi and Adewole Adebayo, took part in discussions at the NBA conference on governance, insecurity, the economy, fuel subsidy and the country’s political direction ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Amaechi and Sowore have continued to exchange criticism since their confrontation, with both politicians maintaining different views about their records, political experience and approaches to solving Nigeria’s problems.
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