Human rights activist and convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, Comrade Omoyele Sowore, has cautioned Nigerians about individuals who claim to have fought for democracy in the country.
Speaking on Arise Television during a programme on godfatherism, Sowore alleged that these individuals were not genuinely committed to democracy but were instead driven by jealousy of the military juntas and a desire to seize power for their own benefit.
Sowore argued that some of these individuals, now in positions of authority, have become even more oppressive than the military regimes they once opposed. He cited President Bola Tinubu’s removal of democratically elected officials — including a sitting governor, deputy governor, and the entire state house of assembly — as a clear example of such authoritarian behaviour.
Sowore also addressed the opposition in Nigeria, stating that people forming coalitions are not genuinely interested in removing President Tinubu from power. Instead, he said they’re seeking to replace him and his allies, driven by envy and a desire for personal gain.
He said, “… some of the people who were fighting for democracy in the ’90s weren’t actually fighting for democracy. They were fighting because they were jealous of what the military guys were doing, that they wished they were in that position.
“And now that they have gotten to the position that the military guys were in the ’90s, you could tell what their interest was. It was to become as powerful as the military guys that they claimed they were fighting against. And if you look at their trajectory, their history and the stories that came when they were in exile, you’d know they weren’t fighting for democracy; they were doing business.”
The activist stressed that state governors across Nigeria are united under the Tinubu administration, showing more loyalty to him than even his own party members.
Sowore attributed this to the large allocations they receive, which he claimed they exploit to enrich themselves with impunity.
“They support him even more than governors from his own political party and the reason is simple; they are getting massive allocations that they’ve never gotten before, stealing and getting away with it and they cannot wish for a better time than now.
“So it is the reason why people like me have also warned Nigerians that during this period, you are going to see people who say they are forming coalitions not because they want to get rid of Tinubu but because they want to replace Tinubu and his own people because they really envied them at this time and say, ‘My goodness! We wish we were the ones in power, we could steal your money, we could do anything and nothing would happen.’
“We can capture the state; that’s where I mentioned to you that this is about state capture.”
Sowore also addressed the Rivers State conflict, predicting that the elites involved will eventually resolve their differences but at the expense of the people. He urged Nigerians to take control of their destinies, warning that the current leaders are not acting in their best interests.
Noting that the sole administrator appointed by Tinubu to oversee the state’s affairs in the absence of the suspended democratically elected Governor Siminalayi Fubara has met traditional rulers and former government officials, Sowore added, “You would think that nothing was wrong in Port Harcourt because all of them are one and the same and that is why the Nigerian people must take their destinies in their own hand as much as you might feel bad for one of the guys who has been headbutt in this bullfight also don’t forget that they don’t stand for you because they will get away with this you know this is a clean crime.”
Sowore remarked that social movements like #EndSARS and the Obidient wave struggled to secure lasting political power due to a lack of clear planning and leadership.
He stressed that achieving political power demands a solid and well-structured alternative, not just surface-level changes.
He said, “You can’t organize for power by doing what those people in power are doing. You cannot organize for power by presenting an alternative that is not substantial. That’s just without substance; that is superficial.
“EndSARS was great; it was a powerful response but EndSARS had a problem – it was not organized around people who understood how to fight and fight to the end.
“So those of us who started EndSARS were shunted aside because, of course, I was at that time restricted to Abuja and then others who were declaring victory before the fight was over was what led to what EndSARS did and then what followed, which you described as Obidient wave.
“It wasn’t about capturing power; it was about one political group replacing the other and you saw the outcome. Why? Because when the opportunity came for that movement to have headbutted the system, they all folded up because you cannot ask a pack of lions to be led by a sheep and achieve victory.
“It’s not possible; that is what happened with that movement. But I can tell you that a new movement is emerging and we should be guided. We should all join hands and ensure that this movement takes the power in the fight from online to offline, and we do it in a very sustained and sustainable way until we win and that is happening.
“Young people are getting very conscious – you saw a female corper last week. There’s a 30-day challenge going on now and you know I like the fact that the elites are always deaf and dumb around when social movements are coalescing because what ultimately happens is that they are caught unawares.”
“If there was a response the day after the army attacked the EndSARS, that would have cleared the mess in Nigeria. But people who were leading EndSARS were using it for negotiations; they were using it for creating content, they were using it for personal popularity and when we had conversations with them, they said no we don’t want leadership. There is no social movement in the world that doesn’t have leaders that has ever succeeded. They said no this is a leaderless movement. There’s nothing like a leaderless movement,” he opined.
Sowore concluded by expressing optimism about a new emerging movement, which he believes has the potential to bring about meaningful change if done sustainably and with clear leadership.
