Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2023, says he will not accept President Bola Tinubu even if he volunteered to be his bail surety.
Sowore is currently in police custody after he was invited
for questioning over allegations of cyberstalking, negligent acts, and
intimidation.
The police invitation was about a viral video wherein Sowore
confronted officers who had stopped his vehicle at a checkpoint in Lagos.
He arrived at the force headquarters in Abuja on Monday, and
on Wednesday, police arraigned Sowore over cybercrime allegations.
However, he rejected the bail conditions set by the police,
which required him to deposit his international passport and present a level 17
civil servant as a surety.
The court adjourned ruling on his bail application to
Thursday, January 30.
‘MY BAIL CONDITIONS
FRIVOLOUS AND RIDICULOUS’
Addressing journalists in a video seen by TheCable, Sowore
rejected the bail conditions and vowed not to participate in what he called
“illegality”.
The human rights activist said the conditions were
“laughable, frivolous, and ridiculous,” adding that the police have no right to
grant administrative bail.
“I cannot in good conscience continue to participate in
illegality because I have made it very clear that the police have no right to
grant administrative bail that asks for civil servants to own, first and
foremost, N100 million houses, which is a crime; that’s a corruption to stand
bail for me, who is an employer of labour,” Sowore said.
“I’m a publisher of an internationally renowned news
website. I have people who I hired in Nigeria and abroad. I’m not a civil
servant. In fact, I’m an uncivil citizen who is against all kinds of
corruption.
“I have spent my entire life fighting against corruption.
So, to now ask me, to insult me that I should provide a level 17 director, who
had not gotten employment when I was fighting for democracy in 1992.
“To now ask the person to come and stand surety for me is a
biggest insult. Even if President Bola Tinubu had appeared as my surety, I
would have rejected that very laughable, frivolous, ridiculous, and I dare say
stupid bail condition.
“If the court in its own wisdom decides that they want my
passport in their coffers, which is a very special passport, that’s a different
issue.
“But we must continue to reject the impunity of the Nigeria
police and officers who will just invite you and then ask you to deposit your
passport.
“I should go and bring a level 17 civil servant; even by the
civil service rules, there is no level 17 officer because a level 17 in civil
service is a permanent secretary who is politically appointed by the president.
“So, you expect such a person to come and stand surety for
Sowore. I’m not being arrogant, and I’m not bragging. In 1992, when I was a
student leader, Tinubu was a senator, and I was more powerful than him in
Nigerian society.
“So, how dare them ask me, and I can guarantee you that at
that time, Egbetokun probably had just joined the police, and he was a
sergeant. That’s if he has not forged his age.”
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