"Aso Rock can’t sustain unconstitutional habit of repression" —Ezekwesili reacts over Sowore's Arrest

A former Minister of Education and human rights activist, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, has condemned the arrest of publisher of Sahara Reporters/presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the February 2019 general election, Mr. Omoyele Sowore.

Operatives of the Department of State Services arrested Sowore in the early hours of Saturday at about 1.25 a.m. in his apartment.

Taking to her verified Twitter handle @obyezeks on Saturday, Ezekwesili, also a presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria in the same election, had tweeted:

Sowore had expressed the intention to spearhead nationwide protests against the Federal Government, tagged ‘#RevolutionNow Days of Rage,’ scheduled for Monday, August 5, 2019.

Late last month, precisely on July 31, Sowore was reportedly barred from delivering a lecture as the guest speaker at an event organised by the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, University of Lagos chapter.

Hi online medium, Sahara Reporters, reported that, “The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, UNILAG branch, had invited Sowore as a guest speaker for an academic counselling seminar set to hold at the J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium.

“He was, however, barred abruptly from speaking by the group in a ‘regrettable correspondence…’”

The medium published a letter Sowore purportedly received from the Muslim student body, informing him that he was no longer required to speak at the event.

The crisis rocking the Bauchi State House of Assembly since its inauguration may be over as the factional Speaker, Kawuwa Damina, and the remaining 16 members have bowed to pressure and have been inaugurated.

The PUNCH reported that the Bauchi State House of Assembly was thrown into confusion and crisis on June 20th, when members-elect held parallel inauguration leading to the emergence of two Speakers.

Abubakar Suleiman (Ningi, APC) was elected by 13 Members with the Clerk presiding over the sitting inside the Assembly complex, while the factional Speaker, Kawuwa Damina (Darazo, APC), was elected outside the Assembly complex by 17 Members under the symbol of a Mace without another Member-elect presiding.

The PUNCH also reported that in order to permanently resolve the crisis, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, set up an investigative panel which came to Bauchi and held a 3-day public hearing to unravel the issues as well as make recommendations.

But days after the Panel submitted its report, the factional Speaker who is the immediate past Speaker, Kawuwa Damina, led the remaining 16 members to take their oath of office and oath of allegiance.

The 17 Members were inaugurated at a special session of the House held on Friday at about 8pm, presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Danlami Kawule (Bauchi Central, PDP).

Our Correspondent learnt that the Speaker, Abubakar Suleiman, had travelled to Abuja.

Efforts by newsmen to speak with Damina after they were sworn in were unsuccessful as he was convinced by some of the members of his camp not to talk to the Press.

The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, who was also at the Assembly complex as an observer during the special session, told newsmen in an interview that it was a victory for democracy and the people of the state.

Governor Mohammed was accompanied by his Deputy, Senator Baba Tela, the PDP Chairman, Hamza Akuyam and top government officials.

He commended Damina and his group for bowing to pressure and for coming to be sworn in pointing out that the crisis in the Assembly has been resolved.

The Governor said he holds no malice against any of the Lawmakers assuring that he will work with them for the development of the state.

He said: “Bauchi State House of Assembly has always been one and what you have witnessed is the swearing-in ceremony of the remaining members of the House who are my bosses as the Governor, and in this business, Bauchi State has shown that it is the home of democracy.

” This misunderstanding and the resolution, by the grace of Allah, has shown that there is no victor, there is no vanquish. Those who came now, have exercised their democratic rights and of course, I am willing and ready to work with everyone of them and I have no malice against them and I want to tell the Federation of Nigeria, that in Bauchi, we practice participatory democracy, democracy at its best.