Presidential candidates and aspirants of some political parties that participated in the 2019 general elections and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council have called for the unconditional release of the Presidential candidate of African Action Congress, Mr Omoyele Sowore.
The candidates and aspirants under the aegis of ‘Third Force’ made this call via a statement signed by seven of them on Tuesday.
The statement, which circulated via electronic mail, said President Muhammadu Buhari should be reminded that the Nigerian constitution did not allow violation of human rights.
Those whose names were written in the release are Tope Fasua, 2019 presidential candidate, Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party; Okey Samuel Mbonu, Labour Party; SKC Ogbonnia, All Progressives Congress presidential aspirant and Thomas-Wilson Ikubese of the Alliance for New Nigeria.
Others are Emmanuel Etim, Change Nigeria Party; Ayodele O. Favour, Young Progressives Party; and Clement Jimbo, Social Democratic Party.
The statement said, “We, the Coalition of former 2019 Presidential Aspirants and Candidates, under the aegis of Third Force Forum, hereby demand the unconditional release of one of our compatriot, Mr Omoyele Sowore, who was arrested by an agency of the government on August 2, 2019, pursuant to plans for a protest march across Nigeria; which is within his full constitutional rights.”
Also, the leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council has said Sowore’s arrest is capable of causing national unrest.
The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, stated this in a statement in Abakaliki on Tuesday.
The group noted that contrary to what the DSS had in mind by arresting the political activist, his continued detention was rather turning him into an international figure.