The National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has dismissed Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), calling him a “skit maker” and a “comedian” following a formal request by the AAC to hold a political campaign event inside the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
In an official letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu dated October 21, 2026, the AAC formally requested permission to use the State House, Abuja, as the venue for the official inauguration of its Presidential Campaign Council scheduled for November 11, 2026.
The opposition party asserted that approving the request would demonstrate the administration’s commitment to political fairness, transparency, and equal access to public institutions for all registered political parties. In addition to the venue request, the letter urged the Presidency to provide logistical support, including refreshments and security arrangements for attending delegates.
Reacting to the demand during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru ridiculed the AAC’s stance, questioning Sowore’s political credentials ahead of the 2027 general elections.
”Sowore is a skit maker. Let him struggle to even get a seat in a State House of Assembly as a politician, and then people will begin to take him seriously,” Basiru stated during the broadcast. Taking aim at the party’s historical electoral performance, Basiru argued that the AAC lacks a legitimate electoral footprint across the country.
”Even rejected ballot papers had more votes than his party in the 2023 election. This shows that rejected ballot papers are more popular than his political party. So he is just making skits,” Basiru added.
Responding to Basiru’s remarks via an online statement on Thursday, October 22, 2026, Omoyele Sowore rejected the APC chieftain’s characterization and criticized current ruling politicians for abandoning activist principles.
”The struggle for freedom is not comedy. What is truly comical is watching yesterday’s beneficiaries of resistance become today’s defenders of the very oppression they once fought against,” Sowore countered.
As of October 22, 2026, the State House, Abuja, has yet to issue a formal, administrative response regarding whether the AAC’s request for November 11 will be granted or officially declined.
