The activists say the mass protest will go on as planned on Monday, August 5, 2019, to demand revolution in Nigeria.
Despite the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) advice to organisers of the #RevolutionNow protest to desist from the planned demonstration, groups of activists have vowed that the the arrest of Omoyele Sowore won’t discourage them.
Sowore, the Publisher of SaharaReporters and the Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress (AAN) in the February 2019 Presidential election was arrested on Saturday, August 3, 2019, by men of Department of State Security at 1 am.
Prior to his arrest, the publisher cum political activist had reportedly teamed up with a network of other pro-democracy activists to demand a revolution in Nigeria.
The demonstration, tagged #RevolutionNow had been planned to start on Monday, August 5, 2019.
And in a bid to discourage the group, the Police after Sowore’s arrest issued a warning to Nigerians not to join the protest saying it amounts to an act of treason and terrorism, adding that the protest was aimed to “force a regime change in the country”.
Despite the police warning, one of the organisers of the protest, Mr Kunle Ajayi,who is the General Secretary, United Action for Democracy has vowed to go on with the protest on Monday.
“#RevolutionNow: They think they can stop an idea whose time has come. You have plenty to arrest. We will show you all that our generation cannot continue with your state madness. We will hand over a better world to our children. The time to act is now!!!
“This arrest is not surprising to us. We know that the Presidency has tried everything in their powers to discredit and dampen our struggle.”
While speaking on behalf of the Lagos chapter of the AAC, Ajayi on Saturday had called for more mobilization in defiance to the government, Punch reports.
He said, “The Lagos branch of the African Action Congress condemns Sowore’s arrest and (President Muhammadu) Buhari’s stubborn and cruel antidemocratic credentials.
“We believe that the #RevolutionNow will outlive all forces of repression, particularly the Buhari Presidency.
“We call on the Coalition for Revolution and other organisers to continue with the mobilisation. A failed government cannot use force to make the mass of people to accept its failure.”
Another group, the Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution, has also vowed to go on with the planned protest despite Sowore’s arrest.
The group’s convener, Mr Ariyo-Dare Atoyein a report by SaharaReporters said the #RevolutionNow protest was convened to challenge “the ravenous revolution of the ruling elite that have for decades put our nation and the common man in bondage.”
He said, “We make bold to say that since General Buhari in opposition fully exercised his rights to criticise previous governments and lead a protest in the country, his government cannot under any pretension stop us from holding his administration to account for bad governance. This is just the beginning.”
Sowore had vowed to hold Mr Buhari’s government to account on issues of governance after his loss at the poll in February 2019.
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