By Deborah Nnamdi
Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that his repeated arrests and detention are part of a decades-long campaign by Nigeria’s ruling elite to silence him, insisting that his latest prosecution is politically motivated rather than based on any criminal wrongdoing.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, Sowore said the challenges he faces today are a continuation of what he described as years of persecution dating back to his teenage years.
According to him, he has been targeted by successive governments since 1989 because of his activism against corruption, abuse of power, and injustice.
“They have been after me since I was 18 years old in this country, 1989. The military was after me. They have tried to kill me in this country,” he said.
Sowore dismissed claims that his current legal troubles stem from alleged defamatory remarks against President Bola Tinubu, maintaining that the charges are merely a cover for political persecution.
“I am being punished by people in power for standing up for my rights and standing up for the rights of other people. It didn’t start today. They have a historical anger against me,” he said.
The activist argued that both military and civilian administrations have consistently targeted him because of his opposition to corruption and impunity.
“It’s an issue between the ruling class and me in Nigeria that has been destroying the country, that I have stood in their way—in the way they do corruption, in the way they carry out impunity,” he stated.
Recalling what he described as a pattern of state intimidation, Sowore cited the seizure of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate over comments he made during military rule, his expulsion from the University of Lagos following student protests, alleged abduction, multiple arrests, and being shot with a riot gun while participating in a peaceful protest.
He also insisted that the reasons publicly given for his arrests do not reflect the real motives behind the government’s actions.
“Forget about what they tell you is the reason they arrested me. What they say publicly is not the real reason,” he said, adding that his public statements are based on facts and widely known information.
Sowore further defended freedom of expression, arguing that criticism of public officials should not attract criminal sanctions in a democratic society.
He said that if he were president, he would not deploy security agencies against critics, stressing that individuals who feel defamed should seek redress through civil courts rather than criminal prosecution.
“If I feel bad about it, I will take you to a civil court, but I will not be the president who sends security agencies to arrest people because they criticised me,” he said.
