Sowore’s Suspended Prosecution: AAC Demands DSS DG’s Removal, Case Discontinuation

The African Action Congress (AAC) has demanded the immediate removal of the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi, following the reported suspension of the prosecution of the party’s presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027 presidential election.

The party said the development reinforced its concerns over the conduct of the DSS under Ajayi, alleging that the agency had subjected Sowore to political harassment, persecution and violations of his fundamental rights.

The AAC rejected the reported suspension, insisting that the case should be formally discontinued rather than left pending.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rex I. Elanu, on behalf of the party, it said the decision did not resolve the matter.

“We do not consider the purported suspension of this needless case to be good news. In fact, there is no provision known to us in Nigerian criminal procedure that empowers a prosecutor simply to “suspend” a criminal trial and leave it hanging over an accused person indefinitely. The proper course is to discontinue the prosecution,” it stated.

The party also questioned the legal basis for indefinitely suspending a criminal trial, saying it was not aware of any provision in Nigerian criminal procedure that permits a prosecutor to simply place a criminal case on hold.

The AAC alleged that the prosecution was politically motivated and constituted an abuse of state power in response to Sowore’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu.

It said the decision to suspend the case to enable Sowore to participate in the 2027 presidential election failed to address what it described as the fundamental issue—the decision to prosecute him in the first place.

The party therefore called on the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to discontinue the case and ensure it could not be revived after the election as a political instrument.

The AAC also demanded an apology and compensation for Sowore over the legal expenses, time and disruption it said resulted from the prosecution, while urging the DSS to comply with any outstanding court orders imposing monetary penalties or costs against the agency.

It further demanded the immediate release of Sowore’s international passport, which it said was in the custody of the Federal High Court in Abuja, and the return of his phones, electronic devices and other personal property allegedly retained by the DSS since 2019.

The party also called for the return of a drone and other equipment allegedly seized from Zainab Sodiq, a journalist and media assistant to Sowore, and urged the DSS to end what it described as her harassment and intimidation.

The AAC accused the federal government and security agencies of using state institutions against political opponents, activists and journalists, and called for an end to what it described as politically motivated persecution.

“For nearly a year, state resources have been deployed in a case arising essentially from Sowore’s description of Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.” Rather than tolerate political criticism and allow Nigerians to freely express their opinions about those who exercise public power, the DSS, under its Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, chose to deploy the machinery of the state against a presidential candidate,” it added.

It said no Nigerian should be targeted because of political views, criticism of government or participation in lawful democratic activities, maintaining that security agencies and institutions of justice must operate within the law.

The party rejected any attempt to portray the reported suspension as an act of goodwill by the DSS, arguing that placing a prosecution on hold did not amount to bringing it to an end.