“The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall”

–Che Guevara

 

By Omoniyi Salaudeen

 

Political activist and Presidential candidate of Africa Action Congress (AAC) in the February 2019 general elections, Omoyele Sowore, is now cooling off in his home following his rough encounter with security operatives during a protest organisaaed at the Unity Fountain in Abuja on Monday. 

The protest was precipitated by the steam of anger arising from the socio-economic hardship facing the ordinary people under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Sowore, an acclaimed political reformist, was among the frontline protesters who allegedly convened ‘Buhari Must Go Protest’ to end the ineptitude of his government. Not unexpectedly, they met bayonets of security personnel who stormed the venue to quench the looming crisis by force of fire.

In the ensuing struggle, he suffered a serious gun injury on his thigh. He was subsequently ferried to a nearby hospital, but he has since been discharged.

There are conflicting accounts of his ordeal in the media. One version of the story said that he was shot by a female Assistant Commissioner of Police. Another report claimed that he was teargassed by a member of the protesting group.

In his personal narrative, Sowore said: “Femi Falana’s ASCAB invited us to a protest against growing insecurity in the country. I left home alongside other friends. When I looked back, I discovered that between three and five trucks loaded with police officers had arrived at the scene. We started singing solidarity songs and began to stream live on social media. From nowhere, a policewoman came and approached me with a federal riot gun. It is used in shooting projectiles or teargas. It is not meant to be used to shoot persons. At such a close range, she looked at me and said ‘Sowore, you are the one that is here.’ She shot at me. I started to bleed. I noticed that blood was running underneath my trousers. I couldn’t walk again.

“Upon being on the ground, she instructed her men to shoot their teargas in our direction, apparently to prevent people from saving me. But the two men beside me rushed me to the hospital.”

 According to him, that was the third time they have sent police to attack him.

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But the police authorities, in a quick rebuttal, said that there was no record of such incident. A statement issued on Monday by Mariam Yusuf, the FCT police spokesperson, said: “Contrary to the speculation, police operatives professionally restored calm at the Unity Fountain following attempts by a group of protesters to incite a public disturbance.”

Imbued with radical reformist tendency, Sowere has remained a thorn in the flesh of the Buhari administration.

He had led #RevolutionNow protest, which was largely held in four states – Lagos, Osun, Ondo, Cross River, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, demanding, among other things, an economy that works for the masses, an end to insecurity, poverty, discrimination, free and quality education for all and massive investments in  public schools’ infrastructure.

In an effort to truncate the mass mobilization, he was arrested by the DSS and subsequently charged for treason two days before the protest.

The Spokesperson for the DSS, Peter Afunanya, had argued that his call for revolution could result in a “forceful takeover of government”.

His words: “Someone is calling for revolution in Nigeria. We must understand the meaning of revolution. Primarily, it means a revolt, it means insurrection, it means insurgency, it means forceful takeover of government and we are operating democratic system in Nigeria.”

Thus, on August 8, an Abuja High Court granted an application to keep Sowore in “custody for only 45 days” for Nigeria’s security service to “conclude its investigation.” In spite of that, his teeming fans refused to back out, instead, they insisted on going ahead with the planned protest.

What goes around, they say, comes around. While the prosecution lasted, some political observers reminded Buhari that he had made a similar call in the wake of his struggle for power, urging Nigerians to learn from the Egyptian Arab Spring protesters.

He didn’t end it at that; he also led a protest against President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 unmolested. So also had Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, national leader of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), in 2014, called for a revolution in Nigeria.

Now, with a reversal of role, Buhari is enmeshed in an insensate play of power, treating open criticism of his government as an insurrection against the state. In the face of this repressive tendency, there is, therefore, bound to be a continuous contention between the so-called revolutionary pressure groups and newly emerging power players.

Ultimately, it is the president’s body language that will determine the action of security operatives to public protest. To some pundits, the whole idea of #RevolutionNow, which Sowore is leading is mere youthful exuberance; while others dismissed it for lacking a clear definition of revolution and good governance.

There is a nexus between the two. And for any change to be meaningful, it must come with a viable alternative.

Omoyele Sowore, publisher of an online news agency, Sahara Reporters, was a presidential candidate of Africa Action Congress (AAC) in the February 2019 general election. His political activism dates back to 1992 when he emerged as the president of the University of Lagos Student Union Government. Before then, he had been actively involved in student demonstrations against policies of the government. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Columbia in addition to B.Sc Geography and Urban Planning obtained from the Unilag in 1995. While in school, he had two extra years in the university because of his activism. Radicalism still remains very strong in his blood.