Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), says he will introduce a N500,000 monthly living minimum wage if elected president in 2027.
Sowore also promised 24-hour electricity, free education at all levels, one million public mixed-income homes and reforms to tenancy laws to reduce advance rent payments.
He spoke in an interview with Independent.
Sowore said the AAC’s agenda was based on “revolutionary justice and equal rights”.
“Our agenda is revolutionary justice and equal rights. Nigeria is enormously wealthy, yet Nigerians have been deliberately impoverished through corruption, incompetence and an economic system designed to reward a tiny political and business elite. We intend to change that fundamentally,” he said.
He said the N500,000 monthly living minimum wage would improve workers’ welfare.
“We are proposing a ₦500,000 monthly living minimum wage because Nigerian workers cannot continue receiving starvation wages while senators, governors and political appointees consume millions every month,” he said.
On electricity, Sowore said an AAC government would provide uninterrupted power supply.
“We will deliver 24-hour electricity because no serious industrial economy can operate permanently on generators,” he said.
He also promised free and accessible education at all levels.
“Education will be free and accessible at all levels, and no Nigerian child should be denied education because his or her parents are poor,” he said.
On housing, Sowore said his administration would construct one million public mixed-income homes and reform tenancy laws.
“We will embark on the construction of one million public mixed income homes while reforming tenancy laws so that working people are not forced to pay one or two years of rent in advance,” he said.
He also promised to make healthcare a right rather than a privilege.
“Healthcare must become a right, not a privilege reserved for people who can afford medical tourism,” he said.
Sowore said his government would prioritise industrialisation, agriculture, infrastructure and employment.
“We will industrialise Nigeria, massively expand agricultural production and processing, rebuild infrastructure and create dignified employment,” he said.
On insecurity, he promised to reform the country’s policing and security architecture and improve the welfare of security personnel.
“We will reform policing and security, properly compensate security personnel and deploy modern technology, including drones and advanced intelligence systems, to confront insecurity,” he said.
Sowore also pledged an “uncompromising” war against corruption and promised to recover public resources allegedly stolen by political officeholders.
“Nigeria’s wealth must work for Nigerians,” he said.
The AAC candidate said the party would run a campaign funded by ordinary Nigerians rather than wealthy individuals and political patrons.
He also described Nigerians as “more ready than ever” for a leftist government, arguing that successive capitalist administrations had failed to address poverty and inequality.
“Our socialism is practical. It means the wealth produced by society must improve the lives of the people who produce it. It means universal education, healthcare, decent housing, electricity, living wages and social protection,” he said.
Sowore said the AAC would ensure that Nigeria’s natural resources benefited citizens rather than “a handful of politically connected billionaires”.
He also criticised the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu, saying an AAC government would reverse what he described as the philosophy behind the policies.
Sowore said his administration would judge its economic policies by their impact on Nigerians’ material conditions.
On security during the 2027 campaign, he said he would demand professionalism from security agencies.
“I have never asked Nigeria’s security agencies for favours. I demand professionalism. Police officers, soldiers and intelligence personnel are employees of the Nigerian people. They are not private security guards belonging to a president, governor, minister or ruling political party,” he said.
Sowore said his experiences of arrest, detention, prosecution and attacks under previous administrations would not deter him.
“Resistance works,” he said.
He said an AAC-led government would professionalise security institutions and improve the welfare of security personnel.
Sowore emerged as the AAC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election after being selected by consensus.
Despite recording relatively low votes in the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections, he said the party’s chances in 2027 had “never been better”.
He attributed the optimism to the AAC’s independence from political godfathers, governors and wealthy patrons.
Sowore said the party would organise its campaign at the grassroots, with structures across wards, polling units, communities, campuses, markets and workplaces.
