By Precious Mark
The Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has accused operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) of intimidation and class discrimination at the venue of the First National Peace Accord signing ceremony.
Speaking on Wednesday following the event in Abuja, Sowore expressed outrage after security personnel briefly blocked him at the entrance despite recognizing his status as a presidential candidate.
He noted that while he was being interrogated at the gate, another presidential candidate accompanied by a heavy security convoy was given immediate clearance without delay.
“As is typical of Nigeria’s security agencies, once you don’t arrive surrounded by a convoy of expensive automobiles and heavily armed escorts, they assume you are nobody,” Sowore said.
The AAC candidate disclosed that security operatives subsequently attempted to restrict his entry further by barring his staff and camera crew from accessing the event hall.
“Today, I arrived at the National Peace Committee’s Peace Accord signing event, only to be blocked at the gate by DSS operatives. One of them demanded to see my invitation letter, even though he later admitted that he knew I was a presidential candidate,” he stated.
He added, “While this was going on, another presidential candidate swept in with his long convoy and was ushered through without any of this harassment. Then came another condition: I would not be allowed in with my staff. After that, they said my camera crew would not be allowed in either.”
Refusing to comply with the directives, Sowore emphasized that all political actors participating in the peace process deserve equal treatment regardless of power or privilege.
“If this is supposed to be a ‘Peace Accord’ involving presidential candidates, then every candidate must be treated with equal dignity and respect not according to the size of their convoy, the number of security vehicles around them, or how much privilege they display,” he stressed.
He concluded by demanding an end to systemic bias by state security forces, declaring, “I insisted on my rights and made it clear that I would not succumb to discriminatory conduct. This culture of intimidation, class discrimination, and arbitrary treatment by Nigeria’s security agencies must end.”