Political Showdown: Basiru Accuses Sowore Of Dishonesty Over UNILAG Admission Story

The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has dismissed claims by African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore that he helped him secure admission to study Law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

Basiru insisted that he gained admission to the institution on merit, claiming that he scored 310 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which he described as the highest score among applicants to the university’s Faculty of Law in the year he was admitted.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the disagreement between the two politicians followed Basiru’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, during which he described Sowore as a skit maker and questioned his chances of becoming Nigeria’s president.

Sowore responded in a post on his X account on Thursday, recalling their involvement in pro-democracy activism during the military era. He also shared a photograph he said was taken with Basiru in 1998, when he led the Congress of Progressive Youths (COPY).

The AAC presidential candidate alleged that Basiru was expelled from the University of Ilorin in 1992 over his involvement in student activism and later received assistance from him to continue his education at UNILAG.

However, Basiru rejected the account, describing Sowore’s claim that he helped facilitate his admission as false. He maintained that he had no relationship with Sowore before gaining admission to the University of Lagos.

In his response, Basiru accused Sowore of dishonesty and reiterated that his UTME performance earned him admission to study Law without assistance from the activist or anyone else.

Basiru also stood by his description of Sowore as a comedian, expressing doubt about the activist’s chances of winning the Nigerian presidency at this time.

He further accused Sowore of misleading young people with his claims of being a revolutionary and freedom fighter, urging him to stop making what he described as dishonest statements.

The exchange has brought renewed attention to the political history between the two figures, with both offering sharply different accounts of their past relationship and Basiru’s admission to UNILAG.