But Sowore said on Tuesday that the late Gani Fawehinmi was “well ahead of his time” and that “now we all know better.
Presidential aspirant Omoyele Sowore has observed that many activists did not understand when the late Gani Fawehinmi declared his intention to run for President in 2003.
Sowore, who has been an activist for over 25 years, said this at a special round table session organised to celebrate June 12 by the Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM) in line with the theme of the roundtable session 'Towards a Formidable and Cohesive Electoral Intervention for a New Nigeria'.
Sowore, a one-time SUG President of University of Lagos, spoke extensively on the importance of “sweeping out the status-quo political class across the entire spectrum".
It will be recalled that in 2003 when Gani Fawehinmi declared his intention to run for President, the decision was not well-received in the circle of activists.
But Sowore said on Tuesday that the late Gani Fawehinmi was “well ahead of his time” and that “now we all know better.
"Now we understand that political activism in the corridors of power is the logical continuation of the struggles that we have fought in the streets and in the trenches," Sowore said. “It is not accidental that the number of progressives aspiring to political leadership has increased. The 2019 election will see a record number of progressives who will be putting themselves up for ofiice.”
According to Sowore, his movement, the 'Take it Back Movement', now has over 1,000 members and that numerous members have also indicated interest to seek elective posts across the country.
He advised Nigerians not to make the mistake of electing political office aspirants on the platform of APC or PDP, as this will only “lead us back to where we started”.
“We must also not make the mistake of thinking that just ANY electoral intervention will do," he said.
"An electoral intervention using platforms like the APC or the PDP are guaranteed to lead us back where we started. A corrupt political process will always produce corrupt leadership. Corrupt leadership can never be responsive or responsible.”
He added that the memory of MKO Abiola will be honored if those offering themselves to lead Nigeria make a commitment to focus on the Nigerian people and their welfare.