Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and human rights activist, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration and relevant authorities of frustrating his legal battle seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to produce electoral records relating to Tinubu’s participation in the 1999 Lagos governorship election and the 2023 presidential election.
Sowore alleged that the authorities were running “helter-skelter” because they could not explain discrepancies in the electoral documents covering the period under investigation.
The activist made the allegations on Wednesday while addressing journalists after another setback in the proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, was expected to appear and produce the requested electoral records.
The INEC chairman had been subpoenaed by the court to present documents relating to Tinubu’s electoral participation, dating back to 1999.
However, INEC reportedly filed an objection seeking to set aside the subpoena, prompting Sowore to approach the court to challenge the objection and insist that the electoral body comply with the order.
Speaking after the proceedings, Sowore said the hearing was expected to be a significant development in the case because the court had summoned the INEC chairman to produce the records.
“Today was supposed to be a special day. All of you are aware that the INEC Chairman was subpoenaed by the court to produce the electoral records of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the court, starting from 1999, when this current INEC tragedy started, when he first ran for governor,” he said.
He explained that INEC had filed an objection to the subpoena and that he had appeared in court to challenge the application and ensure the chairman was compelled to produce the documents.
Sowore, however, disclosed that the presiding judge informed the parties that he could not conduct proceedings because he was indisposed.
According to him, the parties were subsequently directed to agree on another hearing date, but discussions had not been concluded when the prosecutor reportedly left the court.
“Unfortunately, the judge has just called us into his chambers now that he cannot sit. Yes, he is under the weather.
“So they asked us to take a fresh date, and we will be back, I think, next week. Although we are still working out, before we could even agree on the next day, the prosecutor had gone away. So that is where we are,” he stated.
Reacting to the development, the AAC presidential candidate accused the Tinubu administration of creating the circumstances surrounding the legal battle through what he described as its failure to respect the fundamental rights and democratic freedoms of Nigerians.
He argued that Nigerians deserved leaders who were honest, straightforward and credible, accusing the government of deploying security agencies and non-state actors to intimidate and harass citizens who disagreed with its style of governance.
“We made it very clear, and this is to the hearing of all the journalists here, whether you turn on your camera or not, we made it very clear that you brought this upon yourself.
“Nigerians deserve leaders who are honest, straightforward and credible. But instead of respecting our fundamental rights, our views on how to govern our country, you unleashed your security agents, both state and non-state actors, to hound everybody.
“And now you are reaping the fruits of your foolishness. You are running helter-skelter,” Sowore said.
He maintained that the court proceedings should not have become necessary, arguing that Nigerians should not face criminal charges, harassment or intimidation for criticising the government and expressing concerns about the country’s democratic system.
According to him, the situation had become so troubling that some Nigerians were beginning to question whether democracy was delivering on its promises.
However, he insisted that he remained committed to what he described as genuine and revolutionary democracy, where the will of the people determines how the country is governed rather than political officeholders imposing their decisions on citizens.
“We should not be here. I told you several times, you should not be facing charges for speaking to the power, how bad they ran the Nigerian democratic experiment.
“Today, people are even questioning whether it was the right idea to be practising democracy. But we believe in real democracy, revolutionary democracy. This forces the will of the people and those governing the people, not the other way around, where those who are governing us force their will down,” he added.
Sowore subsequently indicated that the matter would return to court the following Tuesday, although the parties were still working out the precise hearing arrangements after the judge’s inability to sit.
The activist, who also addressed allegations that the latest development represented another setback in his legal battle, dismissed the suggestion, insisting that the authorities were struggling to account for the electoral records.
He claimed that there was no correlation between the electoral documents relating to the 1999 and 2023 elections, arguing that several records had passed through different stages over the years and that the authorities were now confronted with the challenge of reconciling them.
“It’s not a setback. We knew that they would not be able to come and defend the records with INEC. Because there’s no correlation between the records in 1999 and 2023.
“Within that period, a lot of documents have passed under the bridge. And now they are confronted with that reconciliation. I can guarantee you nothing happened.
“They just don’t know how to face today’s challenge. And as a result, everybody has to go under the weather while they figure out what to do next,” he said.
Sowore further alleged that the legal proceedings and other actions by government authorities were intended to prevent him and his supporters from campaigning ahead of the elections.
He claimed that he obtained permission from the court to embark on campaign activities but was subsequently attacked when he attempted to exercise that right.
The activist also accused the police of failing to investigate the alleged attack properly, claiming that those responsible had not been arrested and that individuals he described as the wrong suspects had instead been apprehended.
“Well, the intention is to keep us from campaigning. That’s the direct intention. And when we tried to campaign, we took the permission from the judge.
“They went and attacked me. Till today, the police have not investigated or arrested the real people. They went and arrested fake people,” he alleged.
He also cited developments in Maiduguri, Borno State, where he claimed opposition campaign materials had been removed ahead of President Tinubu’s scheduled visit to the state.
According to Sowore, billboards, banners and posters belonging to opposition candidates had been taken down across Borno State because of the President’s planned visit.
“Today we just heard from Maiduguri that because Tinubu is coming to Maiduguri, they have removed all the billboards, banners and posters of all the opposition candidates in Borno State, everywhere,” he said.
Despite the alleged restrictions, Sowore maintained that Nigerians had already received sufficient information to assess the candidates contesting in the forthcoming elections.
He urged voters to examine the candidates’ messages, manifestos, competence and character before deciding who deserved their votes, rather than relying exclusively on campaign rallies.
The AAC candidate argued that political rallies had increasingly become entertainment events instead of meaningful platforms for communicating policy proposals, noting that modern communication channels had made it easier for candidates to reach voters directly.
“But the great news is that this election has taught Nigerians something that we have maybe two months ago. The message has been delivered to the Nigerian people regarding which candidate is competent or not.
“So it’s up to the Nigerian people to analyse messages, manifestos and the character of the respective candidates, and vote accordingly.
“You already have the information you need. As I keep telling people, going to a rally is actually a jamboree. It’s more of an entertainment than it is a delivery of message,” he stated.
Promoting his digital campaign platform, Sowore urged Nigerians to download and use the SoworeNow application to follow his political activities, obtain election-related information and identify their polling units.
He explained that the application would enable supporters to monitor his movements, access information about their polling units and receive guidance on where to cast their votes.
“If you have an app called SoworeNow, you know where I am today. You know the weather of your polling units, and you know where to vote, and you already know who Sowore is,” he said.
Sowore concluded by describing his continued legal battles and political activities as part of a broader struggle for social justice, democratic accountability and the protection of citizens’ fundamental rights.
He maintained that the legal battle was necessary to challenge what he considered violations of Nigerians’ rights and to advance the struggle for a country where citizens would not have to fight for freedoms guaranteed under the law.
“So just take it as a blessing for us that we are here fighting other battles, so that we can liberate you from the battles we don’t need to fight,” he added.
In a post accompanying a video of his post-court press conference on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, Sowore also reiterated that the proceedings were expected to address the subpoena requiring the INEC chairman to produce documents and credentials submitted by Tinubu to the electoral commission dating back to 1999.