Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), on Friday, disclosed that he has not set his eyes on his wife for a period of five years.
This revelation stems from the response to a recent court ruling that compelled the Federal Government to drop the treasonable felony charges against him and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare.
The charges emerged from their involvement in advocating for a nationwide #RevolutionNow protest against the former President, Muhammadu Buhari.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Sowore shared the emotional toll of his prolonged separation from his wife.
He recounted the timeline, stating that since his arrest in 2019, he has been deprived of the comforting presence of his spouse.
“After my arrest, despite being released twice, I endured further hardships. My first release was swiftly followed by another abduction in front of a judge, underscoring the precarious nature of my freedom.
“I was well aware that my release was not an act of benevolence but rather a court-mandated decision under immense public pressure,” he detailed.
Reflecting on the motives behind his persecution, Sowore highlighted the government’s systematic suppression of dissenting voices.
He criticized the previous administration led by Buhari for its heavy-handed tactics, which resulted in loss of life and economic hardship.
“The Buhari government relentlessly tried to silence opposition and stifle truth. Despite facing countless adversities, including physical assaults and the tragic loss of loved ones, I persevered.
“Regrettably, this ordeal has taken a toll on my personal life. I have been estranged from my wife for five agonizing years, a painful consequence of the path I chose in advocating for justice and accountability,” he added.
“I want to say clearly that I wasn’t freed, I freed myself by ensuring that I didn’t allow the government break me. But the truth is that what they wanted was to obtain conviction without trial. That they did get.
“They got me restricted to Nigeria for five years, seized my passport and ensured that my regular life was disrupted to a large extent.
“It affected my family immensely. A brother of mine during that period was killed under still unknown circumstances on Ore-Benin Road. My mum had stroke over this issue and is still down, I lost everything that is possible.
“And within the period they were doing all this, they broke my nose, you see the scar on my face, they shot at me with federal riot gun, and they came to court, in 2019, the DSS abducted me in front of a judge. If that is not punishment, then what is punishment? But I did not break, and I didn’t let them break me, and that is the only good news I have for all of you,” he said.
Sowore further said that his call for a revolution in the country in 2019 had become a reality, adding that those who called for a parliamentary system of government and restructuring, were equally asking for some sort of revolution.
“It is no longer a campaign. The revolution has become a reality now. Even those who were opposed to me in 2019 are now calling for a revolution. Anybody who is asking for a parliamentary system of government somehow wants to change Nigeria. It’s some kind of a revolution too.
“Those who are asking for two bicameral legislative system to be shut down and combined into one, those who are asking for this country to be restructured, are asking for a revolution. Because all of this would have to change the Constitution.
“And don’t get me wrong, that is not the revolution I am asking for. The revolution I’m asking for is for this system that is unjust, unfair and killing our people to come to an end, and that I’ve been clear about,” he stated.
Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), on Friday, disclosed that he has not set his eyes on his wife for a period of five years.
This revelation stems from the response to a recent court ruling that compelled the Federal Government to drop the treasonable felony charges against him and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare.
The charges emerged from their involvement in advocating for a nationwide #RevolutionNow protest against the former President, Muhammadu Buhari.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Sowore shared the emotional toll of his prolonged separation from his wife.
He recounted the timeline, stating that since his arrest in 2019, he has been deprived of the comforting presence of his spouse.
“After my arrest, despite being released twice, I endured further hardships. My first release was swiftly followed by another abduction in front of a judge, underscoring the precarious nature of my freedom.
“I was well aware that my release was not an act of benevolence but rather a court-mandated decision under immense public pressure,” he detailed.
Reflecting on the motives behind his persecution, Sowore highlighted the government’s systematic suppression of dissenting voices.
He criticized the previous administration led by Buhari for its heavy-handed tactics, which resulted in loss of life and economic hardship.
“The Buhari government relentlessly tried to silence opposition and stifle truth. Despite facing countless adversities, including physical assaults and the tragic loss of loved ones, I persevered.
“Regrettably, this ordeal has taken a toll on my personal life. I have been estranged from my wife for five agonizing years, a painful consequence of the path I chose in advocating for justice and accountability,” he added.
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“I want to say clearly that I wasn’t freed, I freed myself by ensuring that I didn’t allow the government break me. But the truth is that what they wanted was to obtain conviction without trial. That they did get.
“They got me restricted to Nigeria for five years, seized my passport and ensured that my regular life was disrupted to a large extent.
“It affected my family immensely. A brother of mine during that period was killed under still unknown circumstances on Ore-Benin Road. My mum had stroke over this issue and is still down, I lost everything that is possible.
“And within the period they were doing all this, they broke my nose, you see the scar on my face, they shot at me with federal riot gun, and they came to court, in 2019, the DSS abducted me in front of a judge. If that is not punishment, then what is punishment? But I did not break, and I didn’t let them break me, and that is the only good news I have for all of you,” he said.
Sowore further said that his call for a revolution in the country in 2019 had become a reality, adding that those who called for a parliamentary system of government and restructuring, were equally asking for some sort of revolution.
“It is no longer a campaign. The revolution has become a reality now. Even those who were opposed to me in 2019 are now calling for a revolution. Anybody who is asking for a parliamentary system of government somehow wants to change Nigeria. It’s some kind of a revolution too.
“Those who are asking for two bicameral legislative system to be shut down and combined into one, those who are asking for this country to be restructured, are asking for a revolution. Because all of this would have to change the Constitution.
“And don’t get me wrong, that is not the revolution I am asking for. The revolution I’m asking for is for this system that is unjust, unfair and killing our people to come to an end, and that I’ve been clear about,” he stated.
