Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) for the 2027 presidential election, has declared that his proposed administration would not introduce new taxes if he becomes Nigeria’s president.

Sowore made the clarification following reactions to his interview on African Independent Television (AIT) on Saturday, October 10, 2026, during which he discussed expanding Nigeria’s tax base and bringing more economic activities into the tax system.

In a statement shared on his X account on Monday, the activist said the headline of the interview had created a misleading impression about his position on taxation.

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“Contrary to the misleading impression created by the headline of my recent @AIT_Online interview, let me state categorically that a #Sowore2027 administration has NO plans to introduce new taxes!” he said.

He added, “Nigerians are already overburdened by economic hardship. Our agenda is to create prosperity, not impose additional tax burdens on struggling citizens.”

Sowore also urged Nigerians to watch the video clip of his interview to understand his position directly.

During the interview, the AAC presidential candidate explained that his proposed approach would involve expanding the tax base rather than introducing new taxes.

“We are not going to introduce new taxes, but we would expand the tax base relative to GDP ratio,” he said.

He argued that Nigeria’s tax collection remained relatively low compared with some other African countries.

“Nigeria is probably a poor tax country,” Sowore said, citing Ghana and South Africa as examples in his discussion of tax-to-GDP ratios.

Clarifying his position on taxation, he said, “No. But you see, no, no, no. I’m not taxing Nigerians. We’re expanding the tax base. Are you getting it?”

He explained that the proposed expansion would cover economic activities that were not adequately captured by the existing tax system, including informal businesses and traders operating in markets and on the streets.

“Yeah, as long as they’re making money, all right? And you are supposed to pay tax and ensure that government can do what it say it would deliver to you,” he said.

The AAC presidential candidate also argued that Nigeria could generate additional revenue by recovering money allegedly owed to the government rather than placing additional tax burdens on citizens.

He questioned the recurring concern over how the government would raise funds to provide public services.

“How do you get money? Because that’s always been the, that’s always been, you know, the question thrown at Nigerians. ‘Ah, where are we going to get the money?’” he said.

Sowore claimed that more than $62 billion in royalties was owed to the Nigerian state by oil operators.

“There are, as I speak to you today, over $62 billion in unpaid royalties to the Nigerian state from people that we gave free oil blocks and are making billions from it. They don’t pay royalties,” he said.

He further argued that royalties should be considered part of the broader system of government revenue collection.

“All these revenues we are talking about, they fall under the category of tax. Are you getting my point? Royalties are taxes too,” he said.

He maintained that the government should ensure that those owing the money are assessed and held accountable.

Sowore maintained that recovering the alleged outstanding royalties could provide resources for public infrastructure and social services.

He proposed using the revenue to fund development projects, including roads and schools, while reducing government expenditure.

“We use it to do what we know, the roads we need to construct, the schools we need to build. And we cut down the cost of governance,” he said.

Licensed Oil and gas operators now have until October 31 to demonstrate compliance with their licence obligations or risk losing their acreages.

The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, made the disclosure at an energy conference organised by the Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria in Lagos on Friday.

She cautioned that the regulator would enforce the drill-or-drop provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) against operators that failed to develop their assets.

“Now the PIA has instituted the drill-or-drop mechanism. So, before you take the block, you know whether it’s a gas asset, you know whether it’s an oil and gas asset, and you must come up with concrete plans to unlock your resources,” Eyesan said.

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She said the commission had issued a circular directing affected operators to respond before the deadline, warning that those who failed to do so would face regulatory action.

“And as a matter of fact, we’ve issued a circular, and we say by 31st of this month, for those who are not responsive, you can be rest assured that I am coming after you,” she threatened.

Eyesan also explained that operators holding onshore assets were expected to undertake the required work within the stipulated three-year period, warning that the commission would call up assets where companies failed to develop their acreages.

“For those onshore, you have three years. Within three years in the first instance, if you do nothing about those assets, we will call it up,” she said.

The commission’s warning comes as it moves to enforce work commitments attached to licences awarded through recent licensing exercises, with affected operators required to explain delays in executing their approved work programmes and show how they intend to address the challenges.

Strategy for unlocking Nigeria’s oil industry investment must focus on access to capital, technology, markets and regulatory certainty, in addition to physical assets.

These views were shared by the Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited (HEOSL) in a goodwill message at the Association of Energy Correspondents (NAEC) Energy Energy Conference 2026, in Lagos, themed: “Access to Assets: Empowering Players and Driving Growth.”

Delivering the message on behalf of the CEO, Ado Oseragbaje, General Manager, Government, Joint Venture & External Relations, Heritage Energy, Ohioze Unuigbe, commended the NAEC for convening what he described as a strategic platform for dialogue on issues shaping Nigeria’s energy sector.

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According to him, the conference theme is both timely and strategic at a period when the industry is seeking to increase production and attract investment.

“Access to assets must go beyond physical access to oil and gas resources. It must also include access to capital, infrastructure, technology, markets, skilled talent, regulatory certainty and strong partnerships. These are essential to unlocking investment, increasing production and strengthening Nigeria’s energy security,” he said.

Unuigbe noted that while access to an asset is critical, real value is created by how effectively, safely and responsibly the asset is operated.

He disclosed that Heritage Energy’s Operational Management System (OMS) provides the discipline for responsible operations, by bringing together People, Plans, Processes and Performance to embed operational excellence, strengthen accountability and manage risk.

This, he said, is particularly important in a complex environment such as OML 30, where sustainable performance depends on effective collaboration among staff, partners, regulators, host communities and other stakeholders.

He stressed that sustainable value creation goes beyond production to include safety, environmental stewardship, responsible asset management, local capacity development and meaningful host community engagement, alongside investment in infrastructure, technology and Nigeria’s gas resources.

“No operator can achieve this alone. Government, regulators, investors, operators, partners, host communities and the media all have important roles to play. Trust, transparency and constructive engagement must remain at the heart of these relationships,” he added.

The Heritage Energy GM also lauded the role of the energy media in promoting informed discourse, transparency and accountability, calling for continued collaboration to support accurate and balanced reporting.

“Nigeria’s energy opportunity is significant. Our collective task is to ensure that access to assets translates into access to opportunity, value creation and sustainable growth,” Unuigbe stated.

He reaffirmed Heritage Energy’s commitment to responsible operations, operational excellence and stakeholder collaboration in building a stronger and more sustainable Nigerian energy industry.