Is This About Merit or Being The Son Of A Sitting President — Sowore Tackles Seyi Tinubu Colloquium

In a post on his X handle on Monday, October 12, 2026, African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has criticised the organisation of a colloquium in honour of Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, questioning the achievements that warranted the event and accusing Nigerian society of increasingly celebrating political connections.

The activist and politician said the event raised concerns about what he described as a growing culture of sycophancy. “Today, I watched a ‘Seyi Tinubu Colloquium’ being livestreamed on major television stations, and I couldn’t help wondering how deeply the culture of sycophancy has eaten into Nigerian society,” Sowore wrote.

He said the relationships attracted considerable political attention at the time but argued that the public spectacle surrounding them diminished after Yar’Adua’s death. “I remember the days of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, when Aso Rock became the venue for the wedding of one of his daughters to a sitting governor. Another governor also married into the presidential family,” he stated.

Sowore described the colloquium as another example of what he called the excessive celebration of people associated with political power. “Those relationships attracted enormous political attention, but after Yar’Adua’s death, the political spectacle surrounding them faded so also did these marriages,” he added.

He questioned Seyi Tinubu’s contributions to Nigerian society, asking whether his public service, intellectual work or national achievements justified the scale of the event and the participation of prominent personalities. “What exactly has @STinubu contributed to Nigerian society to warrant this elaborate colloquium, attended by so many ‘prominent personalities’ and broadcast across major television stations?” Sowore asked.

He further questioned whether the event was organised in recognition of merit or because Seyi Tinubu is the son of the sitting president. “What extraordinary public service, intellectual contribution, or national achievement is being celebrated?” he wrote, before asking: “Is this about merit, or simply about being the son of a sitting president?”

He argued that the organisation of such an elaborate event was difficult to reconcile with the hardships confronting millions of citizens. “At a time when millions of Nigerians are struggling with hunger, unemployment, insecurity, and economic hardship brought about by his father, @officialABAT, we should be having national shaming of the Tinubu regime. Sad day!” Sowore wrote.

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