Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has stated that his repeated arrests and imprisonment are not merely a consequence of recent political disagreements but part of what he described as a decades-long campaign by Nigeria’s ruling elite to silence him.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, on Friday, Sowore argued that his latest legal troubles are only the latest chapter in a struggle that began more than three decades ago.

“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.

The activist rejected suggestions that his current prosecution stems from the blurred boundaries between free speech and criminal defamation. Instead, he insisted that the case is politically motivated.

“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.”

According to Sowore, successive governments, both military and civilian, have targeted him for his activism against corruption and abuse of power.

“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.”

Free Speech

Tracing what he described as a long history of persecution, Sowore recalled several incidents that he believes demonstrate a sustained pattern of state intimidation.

He pointed to 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, multiple arrests in recent years, and previous confrontations with security agencies.

“What was the reason they gave for seizing my NYSC certificate? That I discussed politics in 1996 when the military was in power. What was the reason I was expelled from the university? Because I participated in protests.”

“I was abducted in this country. I’ve been shot at. I was shot with a riot gun in this country. So what was I saying when a police officer shot me? Was I not participating in peaceful protests?”

Sowore also dismissed claims that his recent detention was simply a legal consequence of allegedly defamatory remarks against President Bola Tinubu.

“Forget about what they tell you is the reason they arrest me. What they say publicly is not the real reason.”

“There’s nothing about what I’ve said, and what I keep saying, that everybody doesn’t know… I’m not just calling names. I have facts, and I’m presenting the facts.”

H also defended the importance of free expression in a democracy, arguing that political leaders should tolerate criticism rather than criminalise it.

“If I’m president of Nigeria, I will not have time to police speech. If you call me any names, I won’t listen to you because it will be within your rights.”

While acknowledging that public officials may seek legal redress if they believe they have been defamed, he insisted that criminal prosecution should never be used as a weapon against political dissent.

“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.” (Channels TV)

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