DROP ALL CHARGES AGAINST OMOYELE SOWORE AND ALL OTHER POLITICALLY VICTIMISED ACTIVISTS NOW

The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) condemns in strongest terms the continued victimisation of Omoyele Sowore by the Nigerian state for calling for the “RevolutionNow” protest. We hereby demand the immediate dropping of all charges against Sowore and Olawale Adebayo, who were detained on August 5, 2019 and were released on December 24, 2019. SPN also demands the immediate release of Agba Jalingo who has been detained in Cross River since August 23, 2019 and charged on trumped-up treasonable offences at the instance of the Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade for his writings and social media post that were critical of the state governor.
We demand an immediate halt to politically-motivated persecution of activists including the Acting National Chairperson of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Comrade Abiodun Bamigboye, as well as 38 workers of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), 5 unlawfully dismissed leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Lagos State University (LASU) chapter as well as scores of student activists suspended and expelled.
We hold that the allegation brought forward by the DSS that Sowore insulted the president as a justification for his victimisation indicates a degeneration of Nigeria’s politics into dictatorship which must be resisted by the working masses.
The incessant attacks on democratic rights, unlawful arrest and detention of activists and journalists as well as unlawful dismissal of staff activists and killing or rustication of students’ leaders and ban of unions all bear sharp resemblance to 1984 when Buhari was in power as a military dictator. Unless challenged, this method of repression will be directed at the wider labour movement whenever there is a fightback.
Therefore to forestall the further development of the Buhari government into a full-scale dictatorship, we call on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC) to also condemn continuous victimisation of Sowore, Mandate, Agba Jalingo, Abiodun Bamigboye and others, and to be prepared to spearhead a national campaign involving protests to fight for their release and respect for democratic rights.
We believe that only a socialist alternative can sustainably fight poverty, mass illiteracy, social crises, insecurity and frustrations obtainable under Nigerian capitalism and only the building of a mass workers political party can ensure the coming to power of a workers-led government that will plan society to meet the needs of all.
Abiodun Bamigboye
Acting National Chairperson
Chinedu Bosah
National Secretary
Website: www.socialistpartyofnigeria.org.ng
E-mail: [email protected]