Presidential hopeful Omoyele Sowore has vowed that security agencies would not be allowed to hara§§ or arrest Nigerians for criticising him if he becomes President.
Speaking on the role of the President as Commander-in-Chief, Sowore said the head of state must take responsibility when security agencies act outside their mandate.
According to him, “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. And he is in charge of all of them.”
He added, “Anytime you see that some of these elements go rogue, it’s because the Commander-in-Chief is no longer commanding as he should.”
Sowore further declared that he would never tolerate the arrest of anyone for criticising him, promising to sack any security chief who ordered such an arrest.
“I will not be President of Nigeria and somebody will go and arrest somebody for criticizing me. It’s not possible. If you do that, I’ll fire you that same day,” he said.
He also criticised the Department of State Services (DSS) over its handling of court proceedings, particularly the agency’s alleged refusal to appear before the Federal High Court.
Sowore said the development showed the level of ridicule the judiciary had been subjected to, questioning how the DSS Director-General could simply announce that the agency would not appear in court without first seeking the court’s permission.
He insisted that under his administration, there would be “no room as the President of Nigeria for the v+olation of fundamental human rights.”
