Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has condemned the attack on one of the ‘bishops’ who attended the unveiling of the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kashim Shettima, in Abuja.
Sowore’s statement is coming after the ‘bishop’ was mobbed and almost lynched by some youths in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Saturday.
The Bishop, whose name was not revealed, was almost lynched by people in Dei Dei International Building Materials Market Abuja.
The traders at the market had identified him as one of the bishops at the official unveiling of Shettima as the running mate to the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, in Abuja.
Operatives of the Nigerian Police Force had to rescue him before he would be lynched by people in the market.
Taking to his Twitter handle on Sunday, Sowore expressed his disappointment over the mob action and faulted Nigerians who endorsed the mob action on social media.
The AAC presidential candidate added that the mob incident was an abuse of the fundamental human rights of the alleged bishop.
He, however, alleged that those who attacked the victim at the market were presumably supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
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He wrote;
I was particularly shocked that some highly respected persons on Facebook/WhatsApp and elsewhere celebrated this mob justice against this particular Nigerian.
He continued;
Since the advent of this election cycle, we’ve seen and observed a heightened level of harassment of citizens via death threats, arson threats, verbal and now physical abuse against those who happen not to support Peter Obi’s candidacy.
A Catholic Church pastored by Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka known as Adoration Ministry was a victim of this mob action, Femi Kuti’s African Shrine in Lagos was at the receiving end of arsonists over his refusal to support Mr. Obi for President.
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We’ve seen supporters brandishing guns and threatening people who might not support Obi’s candidacy. A former media assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri complained consistently that the life of his one-year-old daughter was repeatedly threatened.
The tweet reads further;
Obi’s supporters are not alone in this unconscionable act, a disabled Obi supporter was reportedly beaten for displaying his paraphernalia. However, Obi’s campaigners have demonstrated the most amount of intolerance and harassment of his opponents.
The latest mobbing of the Bishop/plumber is barbaric, unacceptable and criminal. I condemn these conducts and urge Nigerians to stand by their rights to choose their leaders without pandering to fear, harassment and threats by anyone.
The concluding part reads;
No set of persons or groups should be allowed to ride roughshod on anyone simply because they refuse to follow their preferred candidate(s).
It is Democracy, founded and built fundamentally on the freedom to choose.
