Sowore Claims Political Persecution After Release From Kuje Prison

(Omoyele Sowore. Photo by tribune Online)

African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore says he is being punished for standing up for his rights and the rights of ordinary Nigerians.

He made the remarks during an interview on a television programme on Friday, shortly after his release from Kuje correctional facility, where he had been held over a defamation suit filed by the government alleging that he called President Bola Tinubu a criminal.

He was released on bail set at N200 million.

The activist argued that his prosecution had nothing to do with any legal distinction between free speech and criminal conduct, insisting instead that he was being targeted by people in power for defending his own rights and those of others, a pattern he said had existed long before this latest case.

He described the situation as part of a long-standing hostility between himself and Nigeria’s ruling class, whom he accused of destroying the country, claiming they viewed him as an obstacle to their corruption and impunity.

He alleged that security agencies and their leadership, along with those in positions of power, were the ones truly behind the campaign against him, urging the public to disregard the official reasons given for his arrest.

He pointed to what he described as a pattern of unjust treatment, questioning the justification given for the seizure of his NYSC certificate, which he said stemmed from political discussions he had in 1996 during military rule, as well as the reason for his expulsion from the University of Lagos, which he attributed to his participation in a protest.