Politics: Judiciary is an appendage of security agencies — Sowore
* AAC presidential candidate accuses security agencies of interfering in judicial processes, demands withdrawal of cyberbullying charges
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that the judiciary in Nigeria has become subordinate to, and heavily influenced by, the country’s security agencies.
Sowore made the allegation while speaking on national television during an interview in which he reacted to the decision by the Department of State Services (DSS) to seek the suspension of the cyberbullying trial against him.
According to him, the development should not be seen as a relief because, in his view, the fundamental issue is why the case was instituted in the first place.
“This shows clearly what we have always stated about all these security agencies, that they have complete control over the judiciary. They control the judiciary. The judiciary is an appendage of the security agencies,” Sowore said.
He questioned the authority of the DSS to suspend proceedings that were already before the court, arguing that the security agency should instead withdraw the charges if it no longer wished to pursue the case.
“You can’t just wake up in the morning and say, we’ve been trying this actually for a year and a half now, seized his passport. They even took me to prison for missing a one-course trial for 11 days,” he said.
Sowore also alleged that he had previously spent years dealing with a separate case, which he said eventually ended when the authorities indicated that they were no longer interested in pursuing it.
He maintained that criminalising speech in a democracy was unacceptable and called for compensation for people whom he described as having been wrongfully prosecuted.
“We want you to apologise for doing this to us. And ensure that you compensate people who are wrongfully tried for committing no crime at all,” he said.
The AAC presidential candidate further argued that decisions concerning the continuation, suspension or discontinuation of a criminal trial remained the exclusive responsibility of the courts.
“You have no right to suspend the trial. You have already started. You should go and withdraw your charges. That is the only way out,” he said.
Sowore also alleged that the controversy surrounding his trial was part of a broader pattern of political repression, insisting that Nigerians should be allowed to participate freely in the political process.
He alleged that a tracking device had recently been attached to his vehicle in Port Harcourt and claimed that his team had traced the device and identified the source of its SIM card.
“I’m very sure,” Sowore said when asked whether he was certain the DSS was responsible for the tracking device.
He also criticised what he described as the excessive use of state resources against political opponents and accused security officials of attempting to avoid accountability over the handling of his case.
Sowore further praised his legal team and Nigerians who, according to him, opposed the case from the outset. He urged authorities to respect citizens’ right to criticise political leaders.
“We are all entitled to talk about our leaders,” he said.
On the independence of public institutions, Sowore said Nigeria needed leaders and appointed officials capable of making independent decisions without succumbing to political pressure.
He argued that institutions in more established democracies were sufficiently independent to resist pressure from political leaders, adding that Nigeria needed to strengthen its institutions to protect democracy.
Sowore also warned politicians and public officials against abusing the powers attached to their offices, saying political power was temporary.
“If you find yourself in a position of power in Nigeria, what you need to do, be careful what you do to others. Because it’s their country as much as it’s your country too,” he said.
Subsidy debate
The AAC presidential candidate also used the interview to restate his opposition to the removal of petrol subsidy, arguing that the policy had placed an excessive burden on ordinary Nigerians.
According to him, the major problem with subsidy was not the policy itself but alleged corruption and theft associated with its administration.
“We’ve always been opposed to removing our subsidy,” he said, adding that the government should prevent those responsible for subsidy fraud from benefiting from the system.
Sowore argued that the removal of subsidy had contributed to increased economic hardship, particularly for low-income households and small businesses that depend on petrol for their daily activities.
He proposed temporarily ensuring access to petrol at the lowest affordable cost while the government works to rehabilitate Nigeria’s refineries and increase domestic refining capacity.
He also advocated for a gradual transition away from dependence on crude oil, pointing to renewable energy, compressed natural gas and improved public transportation as part of a longer-term energy strategy.
On Nigeria’s political future, Sowore said the country needed to prioritise the welfare of citizens and ensure that economic policies did not further concentrate wealth among a small group of people.
He also spoke about preparations for the next general election, stressing the importance of free, fair and credible elections.
According to him, his campaign was making efforts to recruit polling-unit agents and had developed an application through which supporters could volunteer and upload polling-unit results on election day.
Sowore said the responsibility for conducting credible elections ultimately rested with the electoral umpire, but added that political parties and candidates needed adequate representation at polling units to protect the integrity of the process.
