By Charles Pemu Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 general election, Omoyele Sowore, has confirmed that he will appear before the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit in Abuja on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
In a statement issued on Tuesday via WhatsApp, Sowore who is also the publisher of Sahara Reporters—announced his intention to comply with the summons, even as questions continue to mount regarding the motives behind the police invitation.
Earlier in the day, Sowore, through his legal representatives at Tope Temokun Chambers, had written to the police unit requesting disclosure of the petition against him and the identity of the petitioner. However, in a formal reply signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Akin Fakorede, the Monitoring Unit stated that the petition would only be revealed upon his physical appearance.
“I refer to your letter dated August 5, 2025, on the above subject matter and respectfully notify your client, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, that based on his request for re-scheduling of appointment, a new date—August 6, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. has been fixed for his interview with the Head of IGP Monitoring Unit,” the letter read.
“A copy of the petition, which is the subject matter of police investigation, will be availed to your client physically when he honours the invite, in line with Police Standard Investigation Procedure,” it added.
Reacting to the police response, Sowore expressed concern over the unit’s refusal to furnish him with a copy of the petition ahead of the meeting.
“The IGP Monitoring Unit has scheduled my interview for tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11:00 a.m., yet they have refused to provide a copy of the purported petition against me,” he said.
While vowing to honour the invitation, Sowore also raised alarms about possible ulterior motives behind the summons. He invited fellow activists and civil society advocates to accompany him to the police headquarters in solidarity.
“Despite this, I will honour the invitation, but not alone. I will be going with a full house. To all our revolutionary comrades, as always, we move together. Let every freedom fighter, every citizen of conscience, every voice of resistance assemble early tomorrow at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja,” he said.
The development comes amid increasing scrutiny of the Nigerian police’s handling of political dissent and civil liberties, with many viewing Sowore’s summons as politically motivated.
As of press time, neither the police nor the Ministry of Justice has publicly commented on the nature of the petition or its origin.