APC Invented Hate Speech In Nigeria, Ruling Party Chieftain Admits

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Joshua Alobo, has claimed that his party originated hate speech.

Alobo who is also a human rights advocate was speaking in a reaction to the re-arrest of the Convener of the RevolutionNow Omoyele Sowore.

Sowore who was released on bail by the DSS on Thursday last week was re-arrested in a courtroom by the DSS the following day.

According to the APC chieftain, what the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari interprets as hate speech originated from the APC.

He admitted that he was “seriously embarrassed” by the treatment meted out to Sowore who was “among those who canvassed for the ‘change’ mantra.”

Alobo told Channel TV’s Sunrise Daily, Monday, that  “APC, in which I am a chieftain, originated hate speech.

“Look at what happened at… even Lai Muhammed and the rest, nobody was arrested. Look at the fuel subsidy protest at the freedom square.

“If not that Jonathan was proactive to deploy soldiers…I was in Abuja; even though I wasn’t in the general protest, I was using my vehicle to monitor the whole situation.

“So a lot of showbiz was going on during the Jonathan administration, they don’t look at it as a threat to the government. What is Sowore?

“They are just making the guy to[sic] be too popular, I don’t know him as a person. But they have been reading Sahara Reporters right from Jonathan era, a lot of information has been disclosed and all those things.

Alobo, President of the International Human Rights and Development Centre asked: “So if a media practitioner cannot express his opinion, then what will he do?

“And this is a man that has the pedigree of activism right from University. So, the DSS for goodness sake should not bring another terrorist group.

“It is the suppression of Yusuf Muhammed that escalated into what we have now as Boko Haram.”