Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and prominent activist, has claimed he is being targeted and punished by those in power for his long-standing fight against corruption, impunity, and injustice in Nigeria.
Sowore made the assertion during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, shortly after his release from the Kuje Correctional Facility.He was granted bail in the sum of ₦200 million over a defamation suit filed by the government for allegedly referring to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
“I’m not being tried for any definition or any bloodlines between free speech and criminal definition. I am being punished by people in power for standing up for my right and that of other people. It didn’t start today,” Sowore said.
He described the situation as part of a historical conflict between him and the Nigerian ruling class, accusing them of destroying the country while viewing him as an obstacle to their corruption and impunity.“Our security agencies and their leaders as well as those in power are the people fighting me. Forget about what they said is the reason they arrested me,” he added.
Sowore cited past incidents to support his claim of persecution, including the seizure of his NYSC certificate for discussing politics in 1996 during military rule and his expulsion from the University of Lagos for participating in protests.
The activist maintained that his current legal troubles are not genuinely about the alleged defamation but are part of a broader pattern of repression against those who challenge the system.
Sowore’s arrest and subsequent bail have sparked discussions about freedom of speech, government intolerance of criticism, and the use of the judiciary against political opponents.
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