The human rights defender said his refusal to stand up when Buhari was making his closing remark was a protest against his failure as President.
Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, on Wednesday among presidential candidates for the 2023 election when he refused to stand up as a sign of respect for President Muhammadu Buhari.
Presidential candidates from 18 political parties were at the International Conference Centre in Abuja to sign a peace accord ahead of Saturday’s presidential election.
President Muhammadu Buhari was present at the event along with members of the National Peace Committee.
Some of the candidates in attendance include Sowore, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
But as President Buhari stood up to give his speech at the closing of the peace accord signing event, other attendees including presidential candidates also stood up but Sowore remained seated, SaharaReporters learnt on Wednesday.
The human rights defender said his refusal to stand up when Buhari was making his closing remark was a protest against his failure as President, his utter disregard for human rights and his being the worst President of Nigeria.
Sowore has been assaulted, arrested and detained a number of times by Buhari’s government. And even when the court ordered that he should be released, the regime disobeyed the court.
Other attendees at the event include former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), and former South African President, Mr Thabo Mbeki who were there to witness the signing of the peace pact by political parties and candidates participating in the 2023 elections.
In August 2021, Sowore accused some media houses of failing to report human rights violations and abuses under the Buhari-led government.
Sowore in a tweet wondered why the five #BuhariMustGo protesters who were arrested at Dunamis International Gospel Centre Church in Abuja were not released by the Department of State Services (DSS) despite fulfilling their bail conditions.
He accused some media offices of being silent during the victimisation of their colleagues.
“Five young persons arrested by Dr. Paul Enenche’s Dunamis church security and handed over to Yusuf Bichi-led lawless DSS remains in custody after fulfilling their bail conditions, let me say it here that the Nigerian mainstream media are complacent and complicit in the quest for state violations of human rights by the tyrannical Buhari regime, not because of the people I know who are victims but because they will never raise a finger even when their colleagues are abused.
“These days you can count on your fingers how many media outlets would ever report on human rights abuses! #Revolutionnow #Buharimustgo,” he said in the tweet.
The DSS arrested Ben Manasseh, Anene Udoka, Henry Nwodo, Samuel Larry and Samuel Gabriel on July 4, 2021, on Dunamis International Gospel Centre Church premises in Abuja for allegedly wearing #BuhariMustGo branded shirts.
On several occasions, Sowore has criticised Buhari, describing him as incompetent and a failure.
Last October, Sowore called for the impeachment of President Buhari and the sacking of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele over the redesign of naira notes.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Central Bank announced that it would start circulating the newly redesigned N200, N500, and N1000 notes starting in December 2022.
Reacting, the AAC presidential hopeful said the policy had done more damage to the value of the naira. He, therefore, called for the impeachment of President Buhari and the sacking of CBN governor, Emefiele.
He said, “Nigeria’s Central Bank @cenbank Governor, @GodwinIEmefiele must go and @Mbuhari must be impeached over their recent #NairaDesign policy that has led to further destruction of the value of the Naira. @GodwinIEmefiele has become the Bureau De Change for the @mbuhari family & cabal. #WeCantContinueLikeThis #BuhariMustGo #EmefieleMustGo These incumbent thieves, and saboteurs of the Nigerian economy must go!”
However, since the policy was initiated, Nigerians have faced hardship over the scarcity of new naira notes. Many businesses also suffer due to the cash crunch occasioned by the policy with some economic experts warning that the country may go into a self-induced recession.
During a live Channel TV programme in November 2022, Sowore said the Nigerian government was not bothered about issues affecting Nigerians. According to the AAC presidential candidate, that was why the government could spend N218 billion to redesign naira notes, which he described as an ‘insignificant project’.
Sowore also criticised the 2023 budget that President Buhari presented to the National Assembly last year, saying, “The budget President Buhari presented to the National Assembly is illegal.”
“It runs afoul of Section 12 (1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 which puts the deficit to GDP ratio at less than three percent. What President Muhammadu Buhari presented was about five percent,” he added.