Omoyele Sowore is no stranger to activism and civil action. Months ago, he was in the Capital City of Abuja, leading a “Free Nnamdi Kanu” Protest. This protest grounded parts of the city and drew the attention of the Nigerian State. Despite the effort, Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB’s leader, remains behind bars.
Now, for some strange reason, Sowore has decided to move this protest to Abia State, a virgin land in political theatre, 560km away from Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power.
Sowore, as a character, is a walking paradox.
An anti-establishment figure who has access to the high and mighty in Nigeria. A product of student activism who allegedly works for the same establishment he postures opposing all the time. A former APC Media Ally who hounded the Goodluck Jonathan Administration out of office with outrageous stories like “Gold Plated Iphones as Souvenirs” and “Missing $20 billion ” in oil revenue.
The publisher’s past involvement with the ruling party, APC, strongly overshadows his new political leanings as an anti-APC guy calling for revolution. His Political History with the party has led to a situation where all his moves are scrutinised and suspected to be APC covert operations.
These suspicions are once again highlighted by the latest free Nnamdi Kanu protest in faraway Abia state.
What We Think Sowore is Trying to Do in Abia State
Our Political analysts at Infoeast have drummed up four possible motives for Sowore’s surprise protest in Abia state and what games he could be up to. These are purely political speculations that leverage Nigeria’s political history and patterns.
Building a Trans-Regional Coalition: By championing a cause deeply important to the Southeast as Nnamdi Kanu’s release. Sowore is effectively building a bridge between his Revolution Now ideology and the Southeastern political base. This expands his influence beyond his traditional Southwest and student-activist strongholds.
Political Rebranding: As a perennial presidential candidate and leader of the African Action Congress (AAC), Sowore may be positioning himself as the only National figure willing to stand with the Southeast on sensitive issues, potentially aiming to build a more inclusive voter base for the next election cycle.
Pressure on the Current Administration: Sowore is a vocal critic of the Tinubu administration. By tapping into regional grievances, he increases the political cost for the Federal Government. By highlighting Kanu’s detention during a period of high inflation and economic strain, he seeks to amplify general anti-government sentiment.
Civic Space Advocacy: Sowore often uses high-profile cases, such as Kanu’s, to test the limits of the Nigerian judiciary. He also gauges the right to peaceful assembly, which he claims is being systematically suppressed.
The protest was contained by Nigerian Army personnel, and there have been no reports of casualties so far.
Our Verdict
- Sowore is heavily haunted by his political past, as some of his altruistic political initiatives (we are not saying the Abia Protest is ) are perceived as an APC inside job.
- The Sahara Reporters Publisher has nobody to blame for this but himself
