A faction of the African Action Congress (AAC) has warned that the 2019 presidential candidate of the party, Omoyele Sowore, was not its candidate for the 2023 presidential election.

This was contained in a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Sylvester Cletus, on Wednesday, which noted that Sowore was expelled from the party in 2019.

The party stated that it needed to clear the air regarding Sowore’s candidacy following purported claims that he was the AAC candidate for the 2023 presidential election.

Cletus stated that Sowore was removed for violating the party’s constitution, and misappropriation of funds, amongst other offences, adding that he was ineligible to contest the Presidency under the party.

“The African Action Congress wishes to notify the general public that Mr Omoyele Sowore was expelled on August 9, 2019, at the party’s National Convention held in Owerri, Imo State. He was first suspended from the party in May 2019 and his suspension was upheld by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction in Nigeria.

“Thereafter, the highest decision making body of the party at the 2019 convention, indicted him for flagrance disobedience to the party’s constitution, doubling as party’s National Chairman and presidential candidate, that is, solely holding two positions and other positions in the party same time, proven allegations of financial misappropriation, disrespect to constituted authority (the State) and leadership of the party, and for anti-party activities.

“The importance of this is that legally, Omoyele Sowore is not a member of our party, the African Action Congress, AAC and democratically, his membership right has been withdrawn,” the statement read in part.

Cletus warned the public to be wary of being scammed by the publisher of the online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, in support of a false assumption of contesting for the Presidency under the AAC.

“It is important that these clarifications are made so that the general public is not swindled as the said Omoyele Sowore has erected a grandiose scamming scheme to dupe people when he’s fully aware that he is not an aspirant or candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC in the upcoming polls.

“In the light of the above, the general public should be wary of Mr. Omoyele Sowore and his accomplices, as they are not in any position to determine the administration of our party nor on how we recruit aspirants for elections including how our forms are made available to the general public,” the statement added.