Release Sowore or we occupy Abuja — Party
NEWS DIGEST – President Muhammadu Buhari has been warned he risk a mass civil resistance should he continue to keep Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, behind bars.
This warning was issued in a statement signed by Abdul Ameen, African Action Congress (AAC) Abuja Chapter and Sydney Godwin, CORE Abuja.
Mr Sowore, who was a presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the 2019 presidential election of February 23, was hauled away by security operatives believed to be members of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) at Gudu Junction, Abuja, on New Year’s day.
Sowore’s offence was leading a crossover procession against the government in the nation’s capital and charging several others to #Crossoverwithprotest. He has since been charged with unlawful assembly and breach of public space, punishable by a one-year sentence in the criminal code act.
According to the group, the arrest of Mr Sowore was a violation of human rights, but unsurprising because of Buhari’s antecedent, which dates back to 1983.
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“We’ve resolved that if by Tuesday [5 January], Sowore and other comrades are not released unconditionally, we’ll occupy Abuja,” the statement read.
In the statement, the group said that President Buhari should worry about corruption, insecurity, incompetence, bad infrastructure, dilapidated healthcare, ineptitude, world capital of extreme, multidimensional poverty and poor working conditions of the working class, and not the voices of dissent.
They would also prefer the president channel his energy into “safeguarding Zamfara, Kaduna, Borno, Yola, Kano and Kastina.”
“Make life meaningful and worth living for Nigerians!” they charged.
Sowore’s arrest was not the first of its kind under President Muhammadu Buhari. Seventeen months ago on 3 August, 2019, Sowore was arrested by the DSS for organising a nationwide #RevolutionNow protest. He was later accused of trying to effect a regime change.
According to the statement, the Nigerian populace have resolved to take the country from mediocrity and no level of intimidation can stop those efforts.
“You can’t stop an idea whose time has come,” they added.
