Sowore’s ‘criminal’ comment against Tinubu treasonable — APC

All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers has described recent comments of Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), against President Bola Tinubu as “treasonable felony”.

The APC Rivers also urged the federal government to take a firm position against the activist, calling on 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.”

In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, APC Rivers State chairman Tony Okocha said spreading false claims to damage the reputation of others is “unacceptable.”

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He added that “attempting to incite Nigerians against the government with the crudity of style is treasonable felony,” stressing that “any action capable of undermining public trust and threatening Nigeria’s democracy, stemming from malice, is unacceptable.”

Sowore had recently described President Tinubu as a “criminal” and alleged that Wike used public funds to acquire houses in Florida, United States.

Responding, Okocha said: “In every democracy, criticism is welcome, but what Nigerians must reject are deliberate lies, propaganda, and attempts to defame under the disguise of ‘activism’.”

He added: “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.”

According to Okocha, the allegations are “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’.”

He recalled that the Nigerian Police had recently charged Sowore with forgery and false publication over an alleged fake police signal. “This is not activism. It is outright criminality,” Okocha said.

He also noted that “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.

Okocha argued that Sowore’s actions were aimed at “inciting public unrest and destabilising Nigeria,” saying such conduct disqualified him from attacking leaders.

He further recalled the #RevolutionNow protests in 2019, describing them as “an attempted insurrection” rather than genuine activism. “No genuine democrat calls for the violent overthrow of a legitimate government,” he said.

The APC chairman maintained that Sowore’s claims against Tinubu and Wike amounted to blackmail. “Provide cogent and verifiable facts leading to certain apodictic conclusions and we join to escalate it to high heavens,” he said.

Highlighting achievements of Tinubu and Wike, Okocha said Nigerians should focus on visible progress.

“President Tinubu is implementing his 10-point agenda under the theme ‘Renewed Hope Agenda.’ The economy is booming! Never in the history of Nigeria had over a trillion naira been shared by the three tiers of government. Naira now wields influence and stabilized against the hitherto doldrums before the Dollar and other hard currencies.

“Road infrastructure is verifiable. The trillion-naira Lagos/Calabar expressway, which pundits like Sowore dismissed as a well-nigh impossibility, is on the fast track. The blind can see it,” the party added.