Headlines
#RevolutionNow: Sowore Speaks from Detention, Calls for Immediate Release of Arrested Protesters
Omoyele Sowore, a Nigerian activist and publisher who was arrested on Saturday, has spoken from detention.
Mr Sowore maintained a spirit of defiance when associates visited him in the custody of the State Security Service on Monday evening, two days after his arrest, according to Sahara Reporters, his media platform.
“I am pleased that the peaceful #RevolutionNow protests went ahead,” Mr Sowore told members of the ‘Take It Back’, one of the numerous social platforms he has been using to champion the course for a better Nigeria.
Mr Sowore was arrested at 1:00 a.m. on Saturday by state agents from the SSS, a secret police with a reputation for ruthlessness and repressive tactics from the days of Nigeria’s brutal dictators.
Many Nigerians immediately condemned President Muhammadu Buhari for using state resources to crush dissent. A video of how Mr Sowore was arrested later confirmed fears that the action did not meet democratic standards.
The SSS spoke for the first time about Mr Sowore’s arrest on Sunday, but failed to provide any evidence to support its allegations that the activist and others calling for an end to corruption, economic hardship and acute insecurity had any sinister motive behind their agitation.
Despite the arrest of Mr Sowore two days before he was scheduled to hit the streets with other Nigerians, and the police description of their agitation as an act of terrorism, a multitude of Nigerians still came out on August 3 in several cities to demonstrate.
They were, however, met with violence from security forces. Dozens of marchers and journalists who covered them were arrested across the country, a development critics said exposed President Buhari regime’s growing intolerance to dissent.
Mr Sowore used his brief chat with his comrades from ‘Take It Back’ movement to demand immediate release of all those whose constitutional rights were violated when security forces descended on them for participating in a protest.
“Knowledge of the sheer number of innocent Nigerians being arrested for exercising their civil rights bothers me,” Mr Sowore was quoted as telling his visitors in custody at about 6:00 p.m. Monday night.
“I join others in demanding for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested by the police on Monday,” he added.
Sahara Reporters said Mr Sowore was met in a good condition in custody, and he remained defiant that his arrest will not foreclose agitation for better living conditions for the Nigerian masses.
It remains unclear when the activist would be charged. The SSS did not seem to be in a hurry to arraign him, even though the law allowed only a maximum of 48 hours for a suspect to be detained before being arraigned in court.
Premium Times
Veteran journalist and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Dele Momodu, has declared that a joint presidential ticket between Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi represents the strongest strategy for the opposition to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Momodu said the emerging ADC coalition is gaining momentum as a credible alternative to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which he accused of promoting “one-man rule” and weakening democratic institutions.
Momodu argued that an Atiku–Obi ticket offers both experience and electoral appeal, noting that both politicians already command significant national followings from previous elections. He recalled their collaboration in 2019, adding that Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election provides a ready base of supporters that can be consolidated.
According to him, the coalition is further strengthened by the involvement of political heavyweights such as Rabiu Kwankwaso and Rotimi Amaechi, making it a formidable opposition alliance.
“The candidates who placed second, third, and even fourth are aligning. That naturally builds a strong challenge,” Momodu said, suggesting that this development could unsettle the APC ahead of 2027.
He also accused the Tinubu administration of centralising power and undermining democratic processes, claiming that key institutions—including the legislature and electoral system—are increasingly influenced by the executive arm of government. He warned that such a trend poses risks to Nigeria’s democracy.
Momodu further alleged that opposition parties face systemic obstacles, including difficulties in accessing venues, legal pressures, and institutional interference. He argued that these challenges have made opposition unity not just strategic, but necessary.
Dismissing concerns about possible cracks within the ADC coalition, Momodu described such fears as speculative, insisting that current political realities have effectively forced major opposition figures to work together.
The Supreme Court has scheduled hearing for April 22 in the appeal filed by the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, in relation to the leadership dispute in the party.
Mark’s appeal is against the March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which dismissed his appeal against the September 4, 2025 ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja refusing to grant some injunctive reliefs contained in an ex-parte application filed by a chieftain of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba chose the date on Tuesday after granting accelerated hearing in the appeal marked: SC/CV/180/2026.
The court ordered Mark’s lawyer, Jibril Okutepa (SAN) to file the appellant’s brief and serve on Wednesday.
It ordered the respondents to each file and serve on the appellant, a respondent’s brief within three days of being served with the appellant’s brief.
The appellant, according to the court, is to file a reply brief, if needs be, within one day of being served with the respondents’ briefs.
Headlines
Amid Denials, ADC Reportedly Secures Rainbow Event Centre As Venue for National Convention
Baring any last minute change, the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as National chairman and National Secretary respectively will hold the party’s National convention at the National Rainbow Event Centre in Garki on Tuesday, 14 April 2026.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has being denied two venues without any cogent reasons despite early arrangements, according to sources.
First, it was alleged that the Abuja Transcorp Hilton Hotels, which was initially approached, turned down the ADC request to use it’s facility.
The ADC, having sensed sabotage, has kept the Rainbow Event Center under rap as it’s definite venue.
The last National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party was held at the same venue.
Located adjacent the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters, the event centre will host the second NEC meeting of the ADC and it’s forthcoming national convention.
According to The Guardian’ report, the ADC leadership has communicated the venue to state chapters with the caveat not to escalate it.
The ADC is in a battle of survival against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and has approached the Supreme Court for intervention.
The INEC national chairman Prof Joash Amupitan has suspended recognition of the David Mark-led ADC rendering a leadership vacuum in the party.
INEC said it’s decision was on the basis of an Appeal Court pronouncement that ordered statusquo ante-bellum be maintained.
Reports say that why the venue is being quietly decorated moderately for the event, the ADC intends to fully move in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Guardian
