Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has said that the fear of public protests has always kept the Nigerian military under control and prevented them from seizing power.
Speaking on the MIC On Podcast on Saturday, Sowore reaffirmed his opposition to military rule, stressing that he would never support or participate in any protest that could pave the way for a return of the military to governance.
“I am opposed to military rule. I will never partake in a protest that allows the military to come to power in this country,” Sowore stated.
He, however, criticised what he called the “excesses of civilians” currently in government, accusing them of mismanaging the economy and trampling on democratic rights under the guise of preventing military intervention.
“But I also do not overlook the excesses of civilians who are here, those mismanaging their rights, the economy, their dignity, just because somebody says, ‘Oh, if you do that, the military will take over power,’” he added.
According to the rights activist, coups in Nigeria’s history were never triggered by civil protests but by deliberate planning and execution within the military.
“All the times the military has taken over power in Nigeria, it wasn’t because of protests; it was because they planned it and executed it,” he explained.
“In fact, it is the fear of protest that has driven the military out of power. It is the fear of protest that has always kept the military under control—or when they are confronted with protest,” he said.
Sowore recently began mobilisation for what he described as a peaceful protest against the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), scheduled for October 20.
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