The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly condemned Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), over recent remarks targeting President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. The party urged the Federal Government to take a firm stand against Sowore, describing his utterances as reckless and damaging to the integrity of the nation.

In a statement released in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, the APC Chairman in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, accused Sowore of deliberately spreading falsehoods aimed at discrediting respected leaders and destabilizing public confidence in government. He stressed that any attempt to incite Nigerians against their leaders using what he termed “crude and malicious tactics” amounts to treasonable felony. According to Okocha, while constructive criticism is acceptable in any democracy, malicious propaganda, lies, and unfounded allegations under the guise of activism are unacceptable and harmful to the nation’s democratic stability.

The party’s reaction followed Sowore’s recent comments in which he allegedly referred to President Tinubu as a “criminal” and accused Wike of using public funds to acquire luxurious properties in Florida, United States. Okocha dismissed these claims as baseless, stressing that Sowore has a long history of using his media platform, Sahara Reporters, to spread fabricated stories, blackmail, and half-truths. He described Sowore’s allegations as the “rantings of a politically irrelevant figure rejected by Nigerians at the polls.”

Okocha further recalled Sowore’s past brushes with the law, including charges of forgery, cybercrime, and defamation linked to false publications and inciting messages against Tinubu. He noted that such actions were not acts of patriotism but rather deliberate attempts to create unrest and destabilize the nation. He also reminded Nigerians of Sowore’s #RevolutionNow protests in 2019, which he said amounted to an attempted insurrection rather than genuine activism.

Emphasizing that Nigerians should demand verifiable evidence rather than give credence to “wild conjectures,” Okocha highlighted the achievements of both President Tinubu and Minister Wike. He pointed to the implementation of Tinubu’s 10-point “Renewed Hope Agenda,” which he claimed has stabilized the naira, boosted government revenues, and advanced major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar expressway. He urged Nigerians to focus on celebrating these achievements rather than being distracted by what he described as Sowore’s smear campaigns.