African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused President Bola Tinubu of allegedly deploying court cases and violence to frustrate opposition politicians ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that the tactics could trigger a revolution.
Sowore made the allegation on Thursday in a post on X, following a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja that nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress under former Senate President David Mark and invalidated the party’s presidential nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The activist alleged that the legal battles involving opposition parties, particularly the ADC, were part of a deliberate strategy by Tinubu to confuse political opponents and discourage Nigerians seeking to challenge him in the next presidential election.
He further accused the President of using the judiciary to achieve his political objectives, alleging that Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was instrumental in the process.
Sowore claimed that Tinubu would resort to violence against political opponents who could not be stopped through legal proceedings, describing the alleged approach as an attack on democratic principles.
“Only revolutionary resistance can confront these wicked strategies,” the former presidential candidate wrote, adding that Tinubu did not believe in democracy.
He described the President as a “crooked political operative” and argued that the alleged tactics would not save him from defeat but could instead become catalysts for a revolution.
The comments came amid a prolonged leadership crisis within the ADC, which intensified following the influx of prominent opposition figures into the party as a coalition platform to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.
The Federal High Court ruling on Thursday followed a suit filed by former ADC Deputy National Chairman, North-East, Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the legitimacy of the Mark-led leadership.
Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the process through which Mark and other members assumed the party’s leadership violated the ADC constitution.
The court consequently nullified the leadership structure and the party’s nomination of candidates for the 2027 elections.
The ADC has rejected the judgment and indicated plans to appeal, setting the stage for further legal battles over the party’s leadership and electoral participation.
Sowore, a journalist and founder of Sahara Reporters, has a history of confrontations with Nigerian authorities over his activism and calls for political change.
In August 2019, he was arrested by the Department of State Services over his planned #RevolutionNow protests, which sought to mobilise Nigerians against corruption, insecurity and poor governance.
He was subsequently charged with treasonable felony, among other offences.
His detention attracted criticism from rights groups, while a Federal High Court in Abuja declared his 2019 arrest illegal in March 2022 and ordered the DSS to pay him N1m in damages.
Sowore has continued to criticise successive administrations and has maintained his advocacy for revolutionary political change, with his latest remarks coming as opposition parties intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential election.
