2027: I’d Rather Die Than Travel Abroad For Treatment – Sowore

The 2027 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has vowed not to seek medical treatment abroad if elected President of Nigeria.

Sowore made the declaration during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, saying he would rather die than travel outside the country for treatment for an ailment that could not be treated in Nigeria.

The AAC candidate said his position reflected his commitment to improving Nigeria’s healthcare system and ensuring that the Presidency was not used for personal or family benefits.

“Any sickness that I can’t treat in Nigeria when I become president should better kill me. I can tell you that for free,” Sowore said.

He also reiterated his opposition to the establishment or funding of an Office of the First Lady, arguing that the position was not provided for in the Nigerian Constitution.

Sowore said becoming President would not affect his marriage but maintained that his administration would not create an official role for the First Lady or spend public funds on such an office.

“I’m not bringing family liabilities back to Nigeria. There is no office of First Lady in the Nigerian Constitution. Becoming president will not abolish my marriage, but I will not have the office of First Lady.

“Women will be heard, but I don’t believe that you need a First Lady who is holding an unconstitutional position and just wasting money that is meant for progress and projects,” he said.

The AAC candidate said his administration, if elected, would prioritise the interests of Nigerians rather than use public office for personal or family gain.

Meanwhile, Sowore has said the AAC is not participating in ongoing discussions led by Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, aimed at producing a single opposition presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

Utomi had initiated a political commission expected to engage opposition presidential candidates and their party leaders in closed-door meetings as part of efforts to build a coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

But in a statement posted on his verified X handle on Thursday, Sowore said neither he nor the AAC was part of the talks and that the party would not join the proposed coalition.

He said the AAC represented a different political and ideological direction and would not abandon its agenda for an arrangement designed to replace one group of established politicians with another.

“For the avoidance of doubt, neither I nor the African Action Congress is part of these talks, and we will not be joining any such coalition. Our position is clear and principled,” Sowore said.

According to him, the AAC’s programme is based on social and economic justice, equal rights, accountable governance and the redistribution of political and economic power to Nigerians.

He argued that some politicians presenting themselves as alternatives had previously operated within the political establishment through parties including the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party.

Sowore said the AAC would instead pursue what he described as a “revolutionary break from the old order”, rather than compromise its programme for political convenience or access to power.