Prof. Sunday Amuseghan, the traditional ruler of Apoiland, the Kalasewe of Apoiland, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to release Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC).
The monarch, who described Sowore as a worthy son of Apoi, called for unconditionally release of his subject, noting that his arrest and continued detention portended grave danger for the nation’s democracy.
The Kalasuwe, in a statement on Thursday stated that the arrest of the publisher of SaharaReporters and Convener of Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria was an abuse of human right to freedom.
He added that the planned #RevolutionNow protest was not treasonable as he was arrested by the DSS before the protest took place.
Faulting the rationale behind the arrest, the monarch lamented that Nigerians were fond of forgetting events and memories of the past.
He observed that the nation’s problems started from the military’s dictatorship and tendency to gag the press and prevent freedom of speech and expression.
According to the traditional ruler, the planned protest would have presented to Nigerians the needed opportunity to express their feelings to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The monarch said: “Not everybody can have access to the presidency in Abuja. This is democracy, not militarism, where people are cowed and jailed over issues relating to their welfare.
“Sowore is an activist, and he was part of the struggle for this democracy. Therefore, he is entitled to express his feelings and that of Nigerians in a democratic setting.”
