Buhari’s threat as published by Vanguard and other media

After a long silence over the court-rearrest of Omoyele Sowore, the Federal Government, through one of its spokespersons, Mallam Garba Shehu, came out with a statement that gives logic a savage twist. He argued that if ordinary Nigerians had taken the position that Omoyele took by calling for a revolution, the State Security Service would not have been interested. Sowore, as Shehu argued, was a candidate in the 2019 presidential election.

However, Nigerian were quick to resurrect what President Muhammadu Buhari, a candidate in the 2015 presidential election said. 

He issued a threat: “If what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and baboon would all be soaked in blood.”

According to Garba Shehu:

“However, it should not surprise anyone who has followed his actions and words that Sowore is a person of interest to the DSS.

“Sowore called for a revolution to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nigeria.

“He did so on television, and from a privileged position as the owner of a widely read digital newspaper run from the United States of America.

“He founded an organisation, Revolution Now, to launch, in their own words, “Days of Rage”, with the publicised purpose of fomenting mass civil unrest and the elected administration’s overthrow.

“No government will allow anybody to openly call for destabilization in the country and do nothing.

“Mr. Sowore is no ordinary citizen expressing his views freely on social media and the internet.

“He was a presidential candidate himself, who ran – and lost – as the flag bearer of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the February 23 general elections.

“Nigeria’s democracy was a long time in the making, and was achieved after decades of often harsh, military-led overthrows of government: the kind of situation Sowore was advocating.

“To believe in and desire armed revolution is not normal amongst ‘human rights activists’, as Sowore has been incorrectly described.

“Again, it is no surprise that he should be a person of interest to the DSS.

“Nigeria is already dealing with an insurgency that has left millions of people displaced and desperate in the northeastern region of our country.

“The Boko Haram militants, who are behind the violence, also fancy themselves to be fighting for some sort of revolution.

“Nigerians do not need another spate of lawlessness and loss of lives all in the name of ‘revolution’, especially not one that is orchestrated by a man who makes his home in far away New York – and who can easily disappear and leave behind whatever instability he intends to cause, to wit, Nnamdi Kanu.

“This is a matter for the DSS, acting under its powers, Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President said.