By MarkAnthony Nze
The recent incarceration of Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, an online news web portal, who incidentally, was the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) party in the last election where he lost to the impostor, Jubril Al-Sudani masquerading as President Muhammadu Buhari, by the Nigerian government is absolutely nothing but a brazen act of injustice.
The #RevolutionNow protest which was slated for August 5, and still took place on the stated day though poorly, due to the absence of Sowore, is being criticised by quite a number of the citizenry for the temerity, he had to call for a revolution in a democratic dispensation which would lead to violence and eventual anarchy in the country.
In reality, the intention of Sowore was basically, a peaceful protest to question the rot in the Nigerian polity, and get the political leaders to sit-up and correct the anomalies abound in the most populous African country.
The hopeless state of Nigeria is more than enough to get any sane mind that is part of her worried, and possibly seek a solution to the chaotic disorder, the country is presently, enmeshed in.
However, those who are ripping-off the country, seem not perturbed one bit by the current repulsive state of Nigeria, a condition so deplorable to the extent that our economic and political thresholds have been badly abused, with the rate of poverty so alarming, and the rule of law, which should protect the citizenry, and uphold the constitution of the country to ensure peace, and order subjugated thus it was not out of place for Sowore to have called for a protest.
If only those who are castigating Sowore for the courage to call for a nation-wide revolution, would be sincere to themselves, they would realise that Nigeria has never been this divided in any of the past democratic administration among the tribes, and other ethnic groups with so much bad blood dwelling within them, coupled with massive looting of funds by public office holders.
The incessant killings by Boko Haram, and Fulani herdsmen have become the order of the day, hence the condition of the country urgently demands not just call for a peaceful protest but a revolution to flush out the failed APC led maladministration since the power of the ballot has been deposed in totality following the way, they perfected the act of rigging.
Their toy, Jubril Al-Sudani, a Sudanese man in his mid-forties was brought to replace the deceased Buhari in 2017, after both expensive and extensive cosmetic surgeries in the United Kingdom to make him easily, pass for Buhari, helped the APC cabal to complete the remaining two years of Buhari’s unfinished first term, then in 2019 elections, the impostor was rigged back into power with the collaboration of their tool, Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC).
Read Also: Court to rule on Sowore’s detention order August 8
Many, especially, the members and supporters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a strong opposition of the APC have expressed their satisfaction for the injustice being meted on Sowore, to them is Karma, hitting back at Sowore.
The opinion of PDP supporters, being that Sowore helped to sack the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s PDP led government by the notorious propaganda of his Sahara Reporters, after he was bought over by the APC chieftain, Bola Tinubu to purposely sway opinions against PDP, and in favour of APC, thus deserves what the monster he previously helped to enthrone is doing to him.
Quite frankly, Sowore fought against the ills in GEJ’s administration, perhaps over blew things out of proportion using his formidable Sahara Reporters, but whether he was paid for that, only his conscience can actually cast aspersion on him now, in retrospect.
What is of concern at this moment is the injustice, the Nigeria government is meting on him – his rights, and privileges as a bonafide citizen of Nigeria who has made the country proud through his media platform, and created employment opportunities for part of the teeming unemployed masses are being violated in a supposedly democratic government.
Apparently, it is extremely hypocritical to learn that this same APC led maladministration when they were not in power called for, and staged a nation-wide protest against the PDP government in 2014 for increment of fuel price, for days, they shut down the country, rained abuses on GEJ, and no one harassed or arrested them. But savagely, APC led government used the police, and dealt with the #RevolutionNow protesters.
Today, they are in power, and it has suddenly, become hate speech which is a punishable crime for criticising the APC led government of gross incompetence, and cluelessness which has taken the country over two-decade backward of the grueling days of the military junta of Late General Sani Abacha where freedom of expression was perceived as a treasonable felony, and sad as it is now, that is exactly what APC led maladministration has swiftly labelled Sowore’s action, which they intend to prosecute him with.
These whited sepulchers currently, running the affairs of Nigeria as leaders have suddenly forgotten how they unabashedly, and ceaselessly, staged protests to condemn GEJ’s government, stirred contention in the the country, and defamed the former president so horribly regardless of the fact that he was the number citizen of the country, they heaped a lot of uncountable allegations on him.
Admittedly, GEJ’s administration had an advantageous opportunity then to have fared better than the previous government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo that he, and the late Yarudua, took over from considering the high price of oil at that time but failed to utilise the opportunity favourably to further develop the country to an enviable height, but when you juxtapose the administration of PDP with that of APC today, you would practically weep for Nigeria, and apologise to PDP for allowing an obviously useless party as APC to get into power.
Nigerians ought to appreciate Sowore for reawakening them to think of protest which is meant to question why the country has degenerated, and not to cast any form of aspersion on him for whatever past mistake he had made.
Sowore, left his beautiful family, and the luxury in the United States to come home and fight for the masses, to help wriggle Nigeria out of the state of quagmire, that APC has thrust her into.
Unfortunately, many of those he is fighting to liberate from the shackles of economic oppression, and political exploitation of APC cabal, are so ignorant to comprehend his liberation message.
By and large, Sowore, would be let off the hook, whether now or later but the incarceration, and peoples’ reactions will certainly give him deeper understanding of the failed Nigerian state, and he alone would be in the position to decide if the colossal failure of Nigeria is really worth dying for, or to narrow his liberation message just for his own Yoruba people, and earnestly, fight for their exist from the failed British experiment known as Nigeria.
Only Sowore can in deed, take any decision which he adjudge worthwhile, however he should realise in his deepest thoughts that he is yet to be 50, which is very early to waste his brilliant future fighting a worthless cause, and he has a lovely family that he should not deliberately inflict pain on by ending his sojourn on earth before his actual time is due.
#FreeSowore
