By Tope Kolawole
The Global Integrity Crusade Network (GICN) has described the Department of State Services’ reported request to adjourn its case against Omoyele Sowore until after the 16th January 2027 Presidential Election as a remarkable summersault.
In a statement signed by its President Barrister Edward Omaga, the group said the move raises serious questions about the original decision to prosecute the activist and presidential candidate.
Omaga argued that the same agency that dragged Sowore to court over his description of President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” has now suddenly discovered the importance of fairness and a level playing field simply because Sowore is a presidential candidate.
The network insisted that nothing about the alleged statement or the circumstances surrounding it has changed.
“The question on the lips of many Nigerians is simple: what has changed? Definitely, the alleged statement made by Sowore has not changed. The circumstances surrounding it have not changed. The case has not suddenly become irrelevant because an election is approaching,” the statement said.
“What has actually changed is that the DSS now realises that the prosecution could interfere with Sowore’s participation in the forthcoming election.
“In my view, that realisation came too late. The prosecution was ill-planned and unnecessary from the outset.”
GICN maintained that in a democracy, public officials must expect criticism, including harsh, unpleasant and provocative criticism.
It stressed that the President, governors and other public officers are not above scrutiny merely because they occupy public offices, adding that anyone who cannot withstand criticism has no business holding public office.
The group argued that calling the President a name may be offensive, irresponsible or politically provocative, but it should not automatically become a matter for the nation’s foremost domestic intelligence agency.
According to GICN, the DSS ought to concern itself primarily with threats to national security rather than policing political insults or legitimate complaints about bad governance.
“The greater irony is that the Sowore prosecution has now produced an unintended consequence: it has demystified the security agencies. Sowore has demonstrated that the enormous powers of the State are not unlimited.
“He has shown that a Nigerian citizen can challenge the machinery of government and insist on his or her constitutional rights,” Barrister Omaga stated.
“This episode should reassure Nigerians that they cannot simply be arrested, prosecuted or illegally penalised merely because they criticise President Tinubu.
“We all have the right to complain about bad governance at the Federal, State or Local Government levels. That is an important democratic lesson.”
The network further questioned the financial cost of the prosecution, noting that the DSS is funded by Nigerian taxpayers.
Every investigation activity, court appearance, legal filing and related expenditure, it said, was ultimately borne by the Nigerian people.
If the agency now believes the case can conveniently wait until after the presidential election, citizens are entitled to ask why such resources were expended in the first place.
GICN submitted that the DSS owes Sowore an apology, as well as an apology to his family, his lawyers and the numerous supporters who have endured the anxiety, pressure and trauma associated with the case.
An apology, the group insisted, would not weaken the DSS but would demonstrate maturity and respect for the Nigerian people.
“Never again should the DSS make a mockery of itself in this manner. The Sowore case has exposed the danger of confusing political dissent with criminality,” the statement continued.
“Whenever Nigerians complain about bad governance or express their anger with the State, the appropriate response is not always arrest or prosecution. Sometimes, the appropriate response is for the persons in authority to simply listen.”
