Eniola Yekini
African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has called for the release of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing his continued detention as an act of “political vendetta.”
Sowore made the call in a post on X, stating that the issue should be viewed from the broader perspective of justice and the protection of citizens’ rights, regardless of personal opinions about El-Rufai.
“It may not bother some people, but the continued detention of @elrufai is not about justice; it is political vendetta,” Sowore wrote.
The AAC presidential candidate said some Nigerians might be indifferent to El-Rufai’s situation because they do not like him or consider him a sympathetic figure.
According to Sowore, however, allowing alleged injustice against a person simply because they are unpopular creates a dangerous precedent.
“It is easy to look the other way because he is not your headache, and perhaps because you don’t consider him a nice person,” he stated.
Sowore warned that oppression becomes easier to tolerate when society accepts it against people it dislikes.
“But that is exactly how oppression works, it becomes acceptable when the victim is someone we dislike,” he added.
He further noted that tolerating injustice against one individual could eventually expose others to similar treatment.
“Once injustice is tolerated against one person, it becomes easier to use it against everyone else,” Sowore said.