African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has revealed that he asked former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, to apologise following their heated exchange at the Nigerian Bar Association’s Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
Sowore made the disclosure during an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, while reflecting on the confrontation that occurred during a political session at the NBA conference. He said he contacted Amaechi after the incident and told the former governor that he owed him an apology.
According to Sowore, Amaechi responded by inviting him to his house to eat and have a beer. Sowore said he declined the invitation, joking that he did not want Amaechi to poison him, although he clarified that he was only joking.
The disagreement between the two politicians occurred during a session where prominent political figures discussed Nigeria’s political future, governance, insecurity and economic challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sowore had challenged the records of politicians who had previously occupied public offices, arguing that political leadership should not be measured solely by the number of government positions a person has held.
He specifically criticised Amaechi’s record as Rivers State governor and his time as Minister of Transportation.
During the conference, Sowore criticised the railway projects associated with Amaechi, arguing that some of the infrastructure had failed to deliver the expected benefits to Nigerians.
“We have a former governor of Rivers State here, Amaechi, who built a rail line that went nowhere,” Sowore said during the exchange.
Amaechi responded by defending his record in government. He pointed to roads and primary schools constructed during his tenure as governor and referred to major railway projects undertaken while he served as Minister of Transportation, including the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna railway projects.
The exchange became more heated when Amaechi told Sowore, “When politicians are talking, close your mouth.”
The confrontation subsequently became one of the talking points from the NBA conference, particularly because both men are involved in Nigerian politics ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Amaechi is the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, while Sowore is the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress.
Despite the clash, Sowore said his criticism of Amaechi was not simply about the former governor's record in public office. He argued that his own contribution to Nigeria's democratic development should also be considered when assessing his qualifications for political leadership.
Sowore maintained that he had been involved in activism and campaigns for democracy long before many of today's political leaders became prominent figures.
He argued that his years of activism constituted a form of leadership experience, even though he had not previously occupied a major government position.
According to him, his struggle for democracy helped create the political environment in which politicians such as Amaechi were able to rise to positions of power.
“If I didn’t fight for democracy, Rotimi Amaechi would not be standing there yesterday if we were still under military rule,” Sowore said.
He pointed out that Amaechi went on to serve as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, governor of the state and later a federal minister, arguing that those opportunities were made possible by Nigeria's return to democratic rule.
Sowore also defended his position on fuel subsidy removal, saying he had warned against the policy before it was implemented.
He claimed that the economic difficulties Nigerians experienced following the removal of the subsidy supported his earlier position that the policy could cause serious hardship if not properly handled.
The AAC candidate further argued that some of the ideas now being discussed by political leaders were issues he and his supporters had raised years earlier.
Sowore also took another swipe at Amaechi during the interview, saying he did not consider the former governor an “Excellency” because, in his view, Amaechi had not done anything excellent for Nigeria.
The comments show that tensions between the two politicians remain high following their confrontation at the NBA conference, although Sowore's account suggests that he attempted to address the dispute directly after the event.
The NBA conference has continued to provide a platform for major political figures to debate Nigeria's direction ahead of the 2027 elections. Other participants have included Peter Obi and Adewole Adebayo, with discussions covering insecurity, the economy, fuel subsidy, governance and the country's political future.
The exchange between Sowore and Amaechi has added another layer to those political discussions, with both men presenting contrasting views about governance, leadership experience and their contributions to Nigeria's development.
As political activities ahead of 2027 continue to gather momentum, their confrontation is likely to remain a talking point, particularly as both politicians seek to convince Nigerians that their respective political platforms offer a better path for the country.
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