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Defying a judicial restriction on demonstrations in Abuja’s power district, activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has called for nationwide protests demanding Nnamdi Kanu’s release, framing the agitation as a broader fight against repression and the erosion of constitutional rights.
In a message posted early Monday on X (formerly Twitter), the former presidential candidate encouraged Nigerians to take visible action.
“Good morning, wherever you may be this morning, do not stop moving. Carry a sign, sing a song, make a statement!” he wrote.
The appeal came hours after Sowore released a late-night statement welcoming activists traveling to the capital for the protest, tagged #FreeNnamdiKanuNow. He praised their “courage and solidarity,” describing the movement as a moment of shared history.
According to Sowore, the rally is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. in front of Abuja’s Transcorp Hilton Hotel. “Come ready, come peaceful, come determined,” he said, adding on Facebook that the organisers aim to “put one million people on the streets of Abuja.”
But the announcement runs counter to an interim injunction reportedly issued by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The order bars Sowore and other organisers from gathering around sensitive government areas — including the Presidential Villa, National Assembly Complex, Force Headquarters, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.
Read also: Nnamdi Kanu: FENRAD Rights Group Attacks FG Over Protest Ban
Sowore, however, questioned both the existence and intent of the order. “If such an injunction truly exists, why hasn’t the police sought a similar one against those who have freely protested for days against Kanu’s release?” he asked. “The hypocrisy is glaring; the double standards are undeniable.”
He disclosed that a team of 115 lawyers has been assembled to challenge the order once it is formally served, insisting that the protest will proceed lawfully and peacefully.
“October 20 remains sacrosanct,” Sowore said. “We march peacefully, lawfully, and powerfully.”
The planned march coincides with the fifth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests — the youth-led uprising that called for police accountability and ended in the tragic events at Lagos’s Lekki Toll Gate. Organisers say the overlap is intentional, symbolising continuity between past and present struggles for justice in Nigeria.
The Eastern Updates
