All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers has accused a human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore of spreading false claims to damage the well-earned reputation of President Bola Tinubu.
Sowore had recently described President Tinubu as a “criminal” and alleged that Wike used public funds to acquire houses in Florida, United States.
Chairman of APC in Rivers Tony Okocha, described the comment made by Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), against President Tinubu as “treasonable felony”.
The APC Chairman disclosed this on Wednesday via a statement in Port Harcourt, the State Capital, amid calls for his arrest by Nigeria secret police and litigation.
“This is exactly what Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, has perfected over the years. Sowore has built his entire career on lies. His platform is notorious for publishing fabricated stories and half-truths, often used as tools for blackmail and extortion”.
The APC Rivers also urged the federal government to take a firm position against the activist and appealed to Nigerians to reject what it described as the antics of people “desiring to rub the integrity of the Country in the mud,” rather than give attention to “a serial merchant of discord and purveyor of half-truths”.
He also berated the convener of the #RevolutionNow in 2020, saying, “in every democracy, criticism is welcome, but what Nigerians must reject are deliberate lies, propaganda, and attempts to defame under the disguise of ‘activism’.”
“This is exactly what Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, has perfected over the years. Sowore has built his entire career on lies. His platform is notorious for publishing fabricated stories and half-truths, often used as tools for blackmail and extortion.
“Nothing more than the bitter rantings of a man rejected by Nigerians at the polls and drowning in political irrelevance,” questioning why “a sane citizen of a country can refer to the highest office holder as a ‘criminal’.”
“This is not activism. It is outright criminality,” Okocha said, “Sowore currently stands trial for cybercrime and defamation,” pointing to charges filed by the DSS accusing him of spreading false and inciting messages against Tinubu on social media.
While also describing Sowore’s actions as a deliberate attempt to “incite public unrest and destabilising Nigeria,” Okocha alleged that his claims against Tinubu and Wike amounted to blackmail.
