Sowore departs Nigeria for USA, to return soon

Innocent Raphael

Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the 2023 general elections and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has revealed he would be leaving Nigeria for the United States to reunite with his family after the Federal Government discontinued the treasonable felony case against him.

In a lengthy post on his X handle on Friday, the publisher of media outlet, Sahara Reporters described his inability to be with his family members in the US for five years as “unlawful, unjust, and inhuman detention by the corrupt Nigerian political system since August 2019″.

According to him, he was arrested, assaulted, tortured, and detained for demanding that Nigerians deserved better living, adding that he was further charged with treason and was enmeshed in a legal battle with the APC led government spanning five years.

Sowore further said that the years of his detention made him miss out on precious moments with his wife and children while his mother’s health deteriorated due to the “unrelenting assault” on him, adding, “My associates have faced arrest, and some imprisonment”.

“In the last five years, I have been denied the ability to visit my family, missing out on I lost my brother to gunmen on Nigeria’s roads. I stand today to declare that I am unbowed. My commitment to Nigeria is unshakable. My resolve to continue to fight for the betterment of the Nigerian nation and to demand accountability from her leaders will never be compromised.

“If the government thought that keeping me detained and later restricting my movement would break my spirit and cause me to renounce my commitment to fighting for the downtrodden Nigerian people, they are mistaken,” he wrote.

The activist who further called for restructuring, recounted his many contributions to democracy over 3 decades as he disclosed he would return to the country in the near future to continue from where he left off.

“Everything we said five years ago about the need for a radical restructuring of the Nigerian nation and the need for a revolution in our approach to politics and governance has come to pass. Corruption remains high and Nigerians are worse off today than they were five years ago. Inflation is making it difficult for people to put food on the table. Nigeria’s currency has been devalued by almost 100 percent.

“I am under no illusions about what the future holds. Over thirty years ago, I committed myself to helping to create a Nigeria that fulfills its promise and realizes its potential. I have suffered greatly for that commitment. My family, colleagues, and associates who have stood by me throughout this journey have also endured great pain and privations.

“For those who wonder what my next steps will be – I say this: I believe now, as I did over 30 years ago when I began this journey, that the vision of creating a just and egalitarian society must be established during my lifetime.

“My trip today to reunite with my children and courageous and supportive wife is only for a short while. I will return to Nigeria to continue my struggle for the total liberation of our people from the shackles of the current corrupt, self-serving political class. I will also be returning to face headlong the remaining truckload of bogus criminal and civil cases that have been thrown at me since my detention in 2019,” he stated.

Sowore also thanked his lawyers, colleagues, and revolutionaries at home and abroad who stood for him, including Femi Falana, SAN, while adding that Nigeria will be free of corruption someday.