Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, described the arrest and the detention of presidential candidate of African Action Congress, AAC, and Convener of Revolution Now protest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, as hypocritical and a new low for All Progressives Congress, APC-led government of President Muhammadu Buhari. Sowore Kanu, in a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, berated the APC government for seeing nothing wrong in organising a similar protest against former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan in 2014, but arresting Nigerians for organising same against the APC-led government of Buhari.
The IPOB leader and Director of Radio Biafra also described the arrest and detention of Sowore and other protesters as not only laughable, but an affront to decency, justice and fair play, saying that “the occupants of Aso Rock are apparently telling the world that they can call for a revolution and street protest against a sitting President in the case of Jonathan, but nobody is allowed to protest against them.” Kanu wondered why President Buhari and the leadership of APC did not wait for the 2015 presidential election, before their own protest in 2014 to remover Jonathan, saying that “it was unbridled self-hate, stupendous ignorance, hypocrisy oozing from every pore in their decrepit body and filled with unimaginable wickedness against Jonathan that made them do what they are condemning today.”
Kanu urged the Yoruba nation and every conscientious person to rally round Sowore to ensure his release, “so he will not be indefinitely kept in detention as done to Sambo Dasuki.”
Ethnic youths call for Sowore’s release Also, a coalition of youth leaders from ethnic groups has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order Sowore’s release from the custody of Department of State Services, DSS, custody.
The group called on the government to avoid clampdown on the opposition and pursue positive engagement and dialogue, stressing that the nation can no longer defer discussion on critical areas such as national security, peace, economic growth and political stability as well as the development of the country.
The group, on the platform of Nigerian Ethnic Nationality Youth Leaders Forum, in a statement by its National Chairman, Alhaji Yerima Shettima; Secretary-General, Aremo Oladotun Hassan; Deputy National Chairman, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and Publicity Secretary, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, urged President Buhari and the 36 state governors to proffer short and long term goals aimed at rebuilding confidence, patriotism as well as developing economic master plan and poverty alleviation programmes through national dialogue.
Speaking in the same vein, Eastern Consultative Assembly, ECA, has frowned at the arrest and detention of Sowore, describing it as “bad news for the political health and image of Nigeria.” ECA has, therefore, called for his immediate release and engagement with his groups with a view to finding solutions to the nation’s problems. The group, in a statement by its Secretary-General, Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, also condemned Monday’s clampdown on demonstrators, saying the action “makes it difficult for the government to continue to pretend it respects the democratic rights of her citizens. “International community could not have forgotten the leaders of ‘Occupy Nigeria’ demonstration that shut down Lagos and Abuja, seven years ago. “The world also noted that then-President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, did not accuse the demonstrators of plotting to overthrow his government.”