Sowore : Ex Presidential Candidate, SERAP Warns FG About Disregard For Rule of Law

The 2019 presidential candidate of the Alliance for New Nigeria party (ANN), Fela Durotoye and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) have said that government’s disregard for the rule of law is unhealthy for the nation.

Fela tweeted on Friday via @feladurotoye, that the  refusal to obey court orders by the nation’s Department of State Services (DSS) and other law enforcement agencies is encouraging the break down of law and order in the nation.

According to him, the DSS’ failure to comply with an order from the court further proves that government and its agencies wants the citizenry to disregard the rule of law.

He urged government to show a good example of proper behaviour by releasing Omoyele Sowore , who was the 2019 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and Olawale Bakare, whose warrant for release has been signed by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court ,Abuja.

Also, SERAP, via ta tweet on Friday at @SERAPNigeria ,  said that government plans to use the detention of political opponents as means of dealing with them and that such behaviour undermines judicial independence and  poses a threat to the rule of law.

The tweet reads in part  : “By continuing to detain Sowore and Bakare, the Nigerian authorities would seem to presume them guilty, and to use their detention as a punishment, despite constitutional provisions guaranteeing their rights to presumption of innocence.

“By continuing to jail Sowore and Bakare, the Nigerian authorities are pushing to undermine judicial independence and take away from the judiciary an important weapon in their limited armoury designed to promote the rule of law and protect citizens’ human rights.

But, as at Thursday,the DSS contradicted the claim of Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana on the bail condition of the detained convener of #revolutionnow protest, Omoyele Sowore.

The spokesperson of the DSS, Peter Afunaya, said that the service was yet to be informed that Sowore had perfected his bail conditions as stipulated by the court.

Sowore , who is standing trial for the charge of alleged treasonable felony preferred by the federal government, is in DSS’ detention for the 98th day.