2027: Sowore Promises ₦500,000 Minimum Wage, 24-Hour Electricity

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore has promised to introduce a ₦500,000 monthly living minimum wage for Nigerian workers if elected president in the 2027 general elections.

Sowore said his administration would also target uninterrupted electricity supply, free education, affordable housing and stronger social protection for Nigerians.

The AAC candidate made the promises while outlining his party’s agenda for the 2027 presidential election.

He said the programme was built around what he described as revolutionary justice, equal rights and the redistribution of Nigeria’s wealth for the benefit of ordinary citizens.

“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.

“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.

“We will deliver 24-hour electricity because no serious industrial economy can operate permanently on generators. Education will be free and accessible at all levels, and no Nigerian child should be denied education because his or her parents are poor.”

Sowore also promised a major housing programme if elected.

He said the AAC would construct one million public mixed-income homes as part of efforts to address the housing difficulties facing workers and low-income Nigerians.

He also proposed changes to tenancy regulations, particularly the practice of demanding large advance rent payments from tenants.

“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. Healthcare must become a right, not a privilege reserved for people who can afford medical tourism.

“We will industrialise Nigeria, massively expand agricultural production and processing, rebuild infrastructure and create dignified employment.

“We will reform policing and security, properly compensate security personnel and deploy modern technology, including drones and advanced intelligence systems, to confront insecurity.

“We will wage an uncompromising war against corruption and recover public resources stolen by political officeholders. Nigeria’s wealth must work for Nigerians.”

The promises come as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential election.

Recall that POLITICS NIGERIA earlier reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission has published the final list of presidential candidates for the election, with Sowore listed as the candidate of the AAC.

The commission’s list contains 18 presidential candidates and their running mates. The presidential election is scheduled for January 16, 2027.

Sowore will be making another attempt at the presidency under the AAC, a party he founded and has continued to use as a platform for his political campaigns.

He emerged as the AAC presidential candidate after the party adopted him during its primary election in Abuja in May.

His emergence means he will contest the presidency for the third consecutive time under the party.

Beyond his economic promises, Sowore said the AAC would pursue a different political and ideological direction from the major political parties.

He described the party’s approach as left-wing politics centred on workers, public services and the equitable distribution of national resources.

“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.

“It means workers deserve dignity. It means Nigeria’s natural resources belong to Nigerians rather than a handful of politically connected billionaires.

“After decades of capitalist governments producing spectacular wealth for a few and devastating poverty for millions, Nigerians do not need another lecture about why this failed system should continue. They need an alternative, and AAC represents that alternative.”

The AAC candidate also criticised the economic direction of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Sowore said the economic policies of his government would be assessed based on whether they improve the living conditions of Nigerians rather than by broader economic figures alone.

He has previously positioned the AAC as an alternative to both the ruling All Progressives Congress and the established opposition parties.

In the run-up to the 2027 election, Sowore has also rejected moves that could see the AAC become part of an opposition arrangement dominated by established political figures.

The activist has maintained that the party should retain its independent identity and pursue its own political programme rather than support what he regards as a return of old political elites.

On campaign financing, Sowore said the AAC would depend on ordinary Nigerians rather than wealthy individuals and political patrons.

He described the planned campaign as a “people funded campaign”, saying the party would build its support from the grassroots.

According to him, the AAC’s structure would extend to wards, polling units, communities, campuses, markets and workplaces.

Sowore said the strategy would allow the party to reach voters directly instead of depending heavily on political godfathers.

He also addressed concerns over security and intimidation during the election campaign.

The AAC candidate said he would expect security agencies to operate professionally and remain within the limits of the law.

“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.

“I have been arrested, detained, prosecuted and attacked under different governments, so intimidation is not new to me. But there is an important lesson from those experiences. Resistance works.”

Sowore said the welfare of security personnel would also receive attention under an AAC government.

He promised better compensation and professional reforms across the security agencies, while proposing greater use of technology in intelligence gathering and the fight against insecurity.

The activist is also banking on the growing frustration over unemployment, insecurity, electricity supply, rising living costs and access to public services to strengthen the AAC’s support ahead of the election.

He said Nigerians were now “more ready than ever” to consider a different political direction.

Despite recording relatively low votes in his previous presidential contests, Sowore said the AAC’s chances in 2027 were stronger.

He attributed this to the party’s independence from governors, wealthy political financiers and established political structures.