OMOYELE SOWORE

POLITICAL PARTY: AFRICAN ACTION CONGRESS (AAC)

Omoyele Yele Sowore (listenⓘ; born 16 February 1971) is a Nigerian politician, human rights activist, citizen reporter, writer, lecturer and pro-democracy campaigner, known for founding the online news agency Sahara Reporters.[1][2][3] In August 2018, he founded the African Action Congress party and ran as its presidential candidate in the 2019 Nigerian general election. Sowore also ran for President in the 2023 Nigerian General elections.[2][4]

On 3 August 2019, Sowore was arrested by the Nigerian State Security Service (SSS), for alleged treason after calling for a protest tagged RevolutionNow.[5][6][7] He was arrested again and assaulted during a protest in Abuja on 1 January 2021.[8][9] Sowore was injured by a police officer during a protest in Abuja on 31 May 2021.

Activism

In 1989, he participated in student demonstrations protesting the conditions of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan of $120 million to be used for a Nigerian oil pipeline. Included among the conditions of the IMF loan, was a reduction in the number of universities in Nigeria from 28 to 5.[17]

In 1992, Sowore led 5,100 students in protest against the Nigerian government. The protest resulted in police opening fire and killing seven protesters. Sowore was arrested and tortured. Omoyele was also involved in the demand for a democratic government taking over military rule in Nigeria on 12 June 1993. This resulted in several arrests, detentions and life-threatening treatment of protesters by government officials.[18]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omoyele_Sowore#:~:text=Omoyele%20Yele%20Sowore%20(listen%20%E2%93%98%3B,online%20news%20agency%20Sahara%20Reporters.