Activist and African Action Congress (AAC) 2027 presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of trying to suppress opposition voices after he reportedly collapsed during a Democracy Day protest in Abuja on June 12, following the deployment of teargas by security operatives.
Sowore made the allegation in a statement issued on Friday after the incident, which occurred during a protest held in Abuja.
The protest was part of a nationwide mobilisation organised by a coalition of civic groups, labour activists, youth organisations and social movements.
The demonstration in Abuja, according to reports, turned chaotic after teargas was fired at protesters gathered near the Force Headquarters.
Videos circulated on social media showed Sowore on the ground as fellow protesters rushed to assist him.
Reacting to the incident, Sowore alleged that officers of the Nigeria Police Force used a “strange gas” against protesters at close range.
Sowore, in response, said, “Repression has never defeated a just cause,”
He revealed, “Today, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force deployed a strange gas at the protest ground, at close range which entered my lungs and left me struggling to breathe before I eventually collapsed.”
Sowore said the incident showed efforts to discourage public dissent and silence critics.
“This incident shows the increasingly dangerous tactics being used to suppress dissent and intimidate citizens exercising their constitutional rights,” he stated.
Sowore further accused the Tinubu administration of targeting opposition groups and dissenting voices through intimidation.
“The objective of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu regime is to silence, destroy, and crush all opposition through fear and force,” he said.
He however maintained that he and his supporters would continue their activism.
“We shall never succumb to any of his worn out tactics. We will keep going until we achieve liberation,” Sowore said.
The Democracy Day protest was organised by a coalition that had earlier declared June 12 a day of mass action to draw attention to concerns over insecurity, economic hardship and worsening living conditions across the country.
The coalition’s position was contained in a statement jointly signed by prominent figures, including human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Yinka Folarin, #EndBadGovernance Movement organiser Hassan Soweto, and musician and activist Falz.
Videos shared online showed moments of confusion after teargas was reportedly discharged at protesters.
Some voices heard in the video expressed alarm as the situation escalated, shouting that police had started firing and that Sowore had fainted.
Protesters reportedly helped him into a vehicle, fanning him as he tried to recover.
Sowore’s response to the incident may further intensify concerns about the relationship between security agencies, protesters and opposition voices in Nigeria’s democratic space.