One of the numerous candidates jostling to succeed incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Omoyele Sowore has stated that he is very optimistic of his emergence considering the fact that a number of factors have come to play out between the last election and now, adding that “I believe that Nigerians are wiser now because they realise that if they had been resolute and steadfast by voting for me the last time, maybe the country would not be in this sorry state. Secondly, I have also had the opportunity to stay around to stand for the country that I believe in.

“They have seen how tenacious I can be. A lot of events exploded diametrically and geometrically in the last three years that make me believe that the dynamics have changed. A lot of issues have greatly humbled the average Nigerians. I mean the issue of insecurity, of backwardness, of poverty, of general instability and the economic crisis. I don’t know how many times in the last seven years that the country has gone into recession. We also had within this period a globally testing pandemic that showed the underbelly of this nation as a failed one especially within the health sector. All these point to the need for visionary leadership.

“At each of these stages, I was present during the pandemic fighting government to give palliatives to the people. I was also around fighting against police brutality, violations of human rights. I was also prominent in engaging the political process. I do not doubt the fact that there is more work to be done in dealing with the forces that we have to fight.

Speaking on the story that his party is crisis ridden and has limited followership, Sowore stated that there is no form of schism at all and what happened to his party is what happens to progressive parties all over the world as any party that the government is not comfortable with, it sponsors internal divisions there, adding that “in other times, the government hijacked such political parties. The hand of the government was very visible considering the fact that the gentleman is being sponsored by the government. Imagine the situation where a member was seen being featured in a live television broadcast. Imagine how much you will spend to get live television slots. By the time I came from the U.S. to challenge him, I was arrested.

“All these issues have been resolved at the Court of Appeal and all members of the party are now fully united. I am not under any form of illusion that they will give up but if you look at the other parties, they also have their form of internal wrangling too. That is one of the characteristics of vibrant political parties. Our case is uniquely different because you get targeted by the government for being a progressive. My travails have a lot to do with my passionate activities for the emancipation of the common man. When I was arrested they said that I wanted to torpedo the government, that I had met with some politicians in Dubai to collect one hundred million dollars to destabilise Nigeria,” he insisted.

Speaking on his satisfaction with the build up to the forthcoming General Election, he said, “I’m concerned about the credibility of INEC considering what we now know regarding the proximity to the ruling party, the fact that INEC is now almost being taken over by members of the ruling party. If INEC is not neutral then how can the opposition enjoy fair play during the election? It is a concern for me and for anyone else. The ultimate goal for us is that the country must not experience a revolution. I hope they won’t. As you know, there is no revolution in the world that is caused by one factor, it is always a chain or a series of events. Sometimes, reactionary events but it would get to a head and you will not be able to reverse when a wrong button is pushed. That of the French Revolution was caused when the prices of bread went beyond the reach of the people. Maybe, this election would be a wrongly conducted election that fails to produce the result that is seen to be legitimate and credible for the people to see.

“I am concerned about the neutrality of the security agencies and the security situation in the country. How do we ensure peace and election safety? It is important because a lot of people might lose interest in the election. In terms of what is on top, INEC is my biggest worry,” Sowore saud.

He however added that he doesn’t see Peter Obi as a threat, adding that “what I see is that he is a part of the legacy parties. He was thrown out to suck the energies of those people who seek a break away from the old order. This is so especially because there appears to be a new way of thinking in the wake of the #End- SARS agitation.” (Story adapted from New Telegraph)