A coalition of civil society organisations has affirmed its support for the reforms of President Bola Tinubu and condemned what it described as “careless and reckless attacks” on him by an activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore.
The group, which staged a protest in Abuja yesterday, said it was displeased with Sowore’s description of Tinubu as lying over the Nigerian leader’s assertion that his reforms had ended corruption and bolstered the country’s economy while addressing investors in Brazil during a state visit.
Addressing the journalists after a protest at the Ministry of Justice in Abuja, the coalition, under the leadership of Comrade Adeniran Taiwo Olugbenga and Comrade Steve Eriba, conveners of Initiative for Integrity, Accountability and Probity (IIAP) and Independent Public Service and Accountability Watch (IPSAW) respectively, demanded the investigation and prosecution of Sowore for “crossing all lines of decency, respect for constituted authority and fair play.”
It said, “We rally today in solidarity with our president and country. We are here today because silence is complicated. True activism involves sacrifice, construction, and transformation… We demand decisive state action not to stifle dissent, but to safeguard its integrity; not to mute voices, but to shield Nigeria from hate speech masquerading as activism. No single person’s lust for chaos will chain Nigeria. We are a generation resolved to rise from protest to policy, stagnation to strength, despair to destiny.”
On Sowore, the coalition said, “By calling a duly elected and legitimate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria a criminal and liar, Sowore has crossed the red lines and must not be allowed to walk freely while denigrating our institutions and leaders with impunity. This is beyond constructive criticism and opposition politics; bitterness is taken too far.
“Freedom of expression is sacred, but it is not a license for lunacy. Our constitution protects speech, not sabotage. Omoyele Sowore’s actions are not activism but a deliberate assault on Nigeria’s soul. Calling our President a criminal and branding our nation as hell abroad is not dissent, it is betrayal.
“For someone who aspired to be the president of this country, Sowore doesn’t build Nigeria’s image; he defaces it. He is not aiming for a better Nigeria but an opportunity to settle scores with political rivals and mislead a few gullible Nigerians. Don’t curse your country on the world stage and call it patriotism. This is not activism,” they said.
The coalition affirmed its support for Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda, which has a monumental impact on Nigerians’ lives. It vowed to oppose any crisis entrepreneur who might want to jeopardise the administration’s reforms for their selfish interests.
