THE Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM) has condemned the alleged deactivation of the passport, voter’s card, national identity card, and driver’s licence belonging to leader of Revolution Now and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore had claimed that the federal government deactivated all his means of identification.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement entitled, “End continued attacks on Omoyele Sowore! Free Sowore now!” signed by RSM’s Publicity Secretary, Salako Kayode, and made available to National Record on Thursday, RSM said the deactivation is a violation of Sowore’s rights.
The statement reads: “We are shocked by the recent bizarre attack on him [Sowore] by the Buhari regime: Mr Omoyele Sowore’s international passport, voter card, national identity card and driver’s license were deactivated on the country’s electronic biometrical system! O. Sowore can no longer use any of these cards for any transactions within or outside the country. This is an outrageous attack and a gross violation of most basic human and democratic rights.
“This attack is another one out of many that has been carried against him since his arrest in August, 2019. These attacks include: restricting him to Abuja for over two years now; sponsoring thugs to attack him at court premises on different occasions; even firing shots at him as was the case in May last year when police officer Ataline Daniel shot at Sowore during a protest at Unity Fountain; etc, etc, the list is endless. Now they’ve essentially de-citizenised Sowore.
“It appears that the Buhari regime and its cohorts have forgotten they’re elected and must be answerable to opposition voices. What is becoming clear is that they are determined to try to crash every opposition voice, every activist who raises their voice against the regime, for human and democratic rights and in the interests of the laboring masses, the youth and the poor.
“RSM calls for an official and independent investigation into this neo-colonial approach of ruling the country. This attack affects all progressive forces in the country. Pressure must be mounted to force the regime back. It is a matter of defending everybody’s democratic rights, everyone’s right to criticise and fight against the policies that serve the rich and the corrupt elite against the interests of the people.
“The attacks against Mr Sowore are an additional manifestation of a failed state and a jittery regime that is terrified of opposition voices, particularly amongst the youth.
“As we speak, we have many Nigerian communities that are been ruled by bandits but this does not seem to really bother the regime and the DSS. We have many cases of killings around the country but again the regime seems to be completely indifferent. It is a much greater priority for the regime to go after an activist fighting for democratic rights and freedoms.
“This is an attempt to terrorize people who want to fight against the regime to scare people away from fighting against Buhari’s tyranny.
“RSM calls on all progressive forces to act now. We must end the filibuster in the political space and attack on activists during protests. We must work towards a better Nigeria that’s free from corruption, abuse of office and poverty; where peace, justice and equality shall reign.
“RSM says, no amount of repression and injustice can stop the mass movement of the people that says “Enough is Enough”.”
