Why I’m Facing Prosecution, Says Sowore

Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate for Nigeria's African Action Congress (AAC), asserts that his ongoing prosecution is a politically motivated punishment for his stance against corruption, injustice, and impunity in Nigeria.

Sowore made these remarks on Channels Television's "The Morning Brief" program shortly after his release from Kuje Custodial Centre, having met his bail conditions. He was granted bail amounting to N200 million in a defamation case initiated by the federal government. The case stems from allegations that Sowore referred to President Bola Tinubu as a "criminal."

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I am being punished by people in power for standing up for my rights and the rights of other Nigerians. It didn’t start today.

During the interview, Sowore maintained that his trial is not about the boundaries of free speech but rather a deliberate effort by those in power to silence him due to his persistent opposition to corruption and abuse of power. "I am being punished by people in power for standing up for my rights and the rights of other Nigerians. It didn’t start today," he stated.

He further claimed that both past and present governments, along with members of the political establishment, have consistently targeted him because of his activism. "They have a historical anger against me. It is an issue between me and the ruling class in Nigeria that has been destroying the country. They believe I have stood in their way of corruption and impunity," Sowore explained. He accused security agencies and government officials of orchestrating a sustained campaign of persecution, arguing that the stated reasons for his arrests over the years were mere pretexts. Sowore cited his previous encounters with authorities, including the seizure of his National Youth Service Corps certificate and his expulsion from the University of Lagos, as consequences of his political activism and protests, not wrongdoing.

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They have a historical anger against me. It is an issue between me and the ruling class in Nigeria that has been destroying the country. They believe I have stood in their way of corruption and impunity.