By SKC Ogbonnia
\nNovember 4, 2019<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u2019s foremost anti-corruption crusader and a presidential
\ncandidate in the country\u2019s 2019 election, Omoyele Sowore, who is being
\ndetained by state authorities on trumped-up charges, may not regain
\nfreedom soon, because he happens to be a paragon of virtue who truly
\npersonifies the famous quotation: \u201cI belong to nobody.\u201d It is clear
\nthis uncommon patriotism has not been put into consideration by the
\nprincipal actors in Sowore\u2019s ongoing prosecution, particularly the
\npresiding judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu.<\/p>\n
Recall that Justice Ojukwu, while reducing one of Sowore\u2019s bail
\nconditions from N100 million to N50 million, had wondered why a Nigerian
\nof his pedigree does not have many people queuing up to stand as his
\nsurety, the stringent terms notwithstanding. It can be easy to lampoon
\nthe learned judge for hinging her argument on such premise, quite
\nalright, but she should be assumed innocent on four compelling grounds.<\/p>\n
First, Justice Ojukwu must have based the decision on legal precedent.
\nSuch bail conditions, including a seemingly assumption that Sowore
\nmaintains a residence in Abuja, are typically reserved for famous
\nNigerian politicians. But it obvious Justice Ojukwu did not know that,
\nunlike the corrupt politicians, Sowore is neither wealthy nor can afford
\nan opulent lifestyle of multiple mansions. More importantly, Ojukwu does
\nnot know that Sowore distances himself from the wealthy politicians,
\nmost of who attained their status through corrupt means. Though he
\naligned with some questionable characters within the opposition ranks
\nduring the 2015 presidential campaign, his effort was not only strictly
\npro bono, that moment in history called for a united front against the
\ngross misrule under the then ruling party.<\/p>\n
Second, Justice Ojukwu clearly mirrored the bail conditions of Nnamdi
\nKanu, another citizen charged for treason in violation of his right to
\nfree speech. Yet, the judge should not fail to recognize that Nigerian
\nmoney bags, who could afford the millions involved in such bail
\nconditions, owe their allegiance to the country\u2019s two political
\nbehemoths: Peoples\u2019 Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive
\nCongress (APC). This goes without saying that Kanu was able to meet his
\nbail conditions due to the fact that he enjoyed an intrinsic sympathy
\nwithin the PDP. On the other side, even as Sowore played a vital role in
\nbringing APC to power, the party now sees the anticorruption activist as
\nits primary enemy.<\/p>\n
Third, Justice Ojukwu might have been swayed by the fact that there is
\nno meaningful pressure from Sowore\u2019s tribe or region, as commonly
\nobtainable when citizens are illegally detained in Nigeria. But she must
\nbe reminded that geopolitics does not favor Omoyele Sowore. His style of
\nwar against corruption has never known boundaries, and this patriotic
\nindependence is central to his undoing.<\/p>\n
For instance, the East appears to have no sympathy for Sowore for his
\nrole in the fall of President Goodluck Jonathan. The North, on its own,
\nis very furious at the anti-corruption activist for opposing President
\nBuhari. Worse still, the political leadership in Sowore\u2019s Western
\nregion under APC is even more irate. A Southwest cabal assumes that its
\nsupport of the injustice against Sowore would endear it to Buhari
\ntowards 2023 presidency\u2014a thought similar to a prevailing emotional
\nmyopia which presumes that the Igbo should foreclose any hope of
\nproducing the next president because of Nnamdi Kanu.<\/p>\n
The nature of these sectional inuendoes is regrettably understandable.
\nHowever, it only goes to show that Sowore truly belongs to nobody but
\nhas sacrificed for everybody. This paradox has roots in the ephemeral
\nnature of memory in Nigeria, a country where the history is a taboo,
\nwhich has always made it difficult to give honor to whom honor is due.
\nIf not, both the North and West would have capitalized on the moment to
\ndemonstrate appreciation for the role Sowore played in bringing both
\nBuhari and the APC to power; while the Easterners could embrace any
\nsupport as a payback for the risks the Sahara Reporters publisher took
\nin Jonathan\u2019s journey to the presidency, beginning from the time the
\nhealth of Jonathan\u2019s incapacitated predecessor, Umaru Yar\u2019Adua, was
\nshrouded in utter secrecy.<\/p>\n
Finally, even if Justice Ojukwu further varies the bail terms to the
\nbarest minimum, as widely expected, a powerful cabal within the APC
\nwould not want Sowore to regain freedom before 2023 presidential
\nelection. Such characters want to remain in power after Buhari and thus
\nsee Sowore\u2019s tabloid, the Sahara Reporters, as the \u201cAfrican
\nWikileak\u201d, capable of exposing their sins against the humanity.<\/p>\n
This is where Nigeria\u2019s civil society ought to come in and heighten
\nthe pressure. The posterity will not be kind to this generation if we
\nallow evil to triumph over good. This time calls for perseverance and
\npersistence. A noble step forward is to find a way to chip into the
\n#freesoworenow \u201cGo Fund Me\u201d account, no matter how little. The
\nwealthy good Samaritans, who are understandably scared that the Buhari
\nregime could go after their businesses, if they stand for Sowore, can
\nstill contribute to Go Fund account, using the Anonymous option. Money
\nis direly needed to defend this prisoner of conscience and the cause of
\nthe common man. As the eminent philosopher Edmund Burke would remind us,
\nevil can only thrive if good people do nothing.<\/p>\n
In sum, the continued detention of Omoyele Sowore may appear very
\nappealing for the ruling APC, politically; but the apparent injustice
\nevokes fatal consequences. The biggest loser is President Buhari for
\nsuccumbing to the wishes of an overzealous cabal whose sole vision in
\nthe plot to succeed him is polar opposite to the common good. It is not
\nsurprising that the Sowore saga has further darkened Nigeria\u2019s image
\nin the comity of nations, thereby hindering the all-important foreign
\ninvestment. Of course, the poor masses are the victims.<\/p>\n
SKC Ogbonnia, Convener of _Power To The Masses_, writes from Ugbo, Enugu
\nState, Nigeria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By SKC Ogbonnia November 4, 2019 Nigeria\u2019s foremost anti-corruption crusader and a presidential candidate in the country\u2019s 2019 election, Omoyele Sowore, who is being detained by state authorities on trumped-up…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n