Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has condemned the arrest of the 2023 presidential candidate of African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, describing it as an open assault on democracy.
Sowore was arrested on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, shortly after he appeared in solidarity with the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
The Nigeria Police Force justified the arrest, saying that it was to ensure fairness in the prosecution of those involved in Monday’s #ReleaseNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.
The force public relations officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said Sowore, who allegedly led protesters into a restricted area during a demonstration in support of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was arrested to ensure that justice is evenly applied to everyone involved.
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Reacting in a statement posted on his social media platforms, the former VP he was shocked and disappointed, but not surprised considering President Bola Tinubu’s leadership style.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2023, therefore called for the immediate release of Sowore, asking the government to end its persistent harassment of dissenting voices.
The statement read, “I have just been informed of the arrest of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, by the Nigeria Police, as well as the arrest of several other citizens who were peacefully protesting in different parts of ,country.
“I am shocked and disappointed, but not surprised. Shocked that in 2025, decades after we defeated military rule, this government still treats diss. ent as a crime. Disappointed because those in power today once thrived on protests. But not surprised, for Bola Tinubu continues to show Nigerians exactly who he is and what he intends to be, if we allow him.
“Sowore’s arrest inside a courtroom is a new low, an open assault on democracy and a grave symbol of this administration’s contempt for the rule of law. The arrest of other peaceful protesters across the country only deepens the stain. Protest is not a crime; it is a constitutional right.
“I therefore demand the immediate and unconditional release of Omoyele Sowore and all those arrested during and after the protest. This government must end its persistent harassment of dissenting voices.
“Democracy cannot coexist with tyranny.”