Columnist and public affairs analyst, Dr Lemmy Ughegbe, has said the Department of State Services, DSS, has shown “grace” in its handling of African Action Congress, AAC, presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore — but insists that this does not excuse the agency from its duty to see his alleged cyberbullying trial through to a conclusion.
Ughegbe spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics while analysing allegations that security agencies were involved in the incident between Sowore and his supporters at a restaurant in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
He argued that the DSS’s conduct towards the activist should be weighed against the allegations Sowore has repeatedly levelled against the agency and other security services.
Ughegbe cited the reported proposal to suspend the trial as evidence of the Service’s goodwill.
“It is public knowledge that at some point the DSS DG was reported to be considering suspending the trial to enable Sowore time to concentrate on his presidential election ambition,” he said.
According to him, however, Sowore rejected the offer. “It is also public knowledge that Sowore flatly rejected the proposal and publicly declared that he did not want the trial suspended.”
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The analyst contrasted that stance with what he described as the activist’s later reversal, noting that Sowore subsequently sought an adjournment from the same court so he could pursue political activities — the very arrangement he had earlier ridiculed when the DSS suggested it.
“Curiously, some days ago, the same Sowore, in breach of legal procedures, bypassed his counsel and wrote directly to the same court that he needed time to go and campaign, and so, would want his case adjourned,” Ughegbe said.
He maintained that this sequence of events matters in assessing the relationship between Sowore and the DSS, given the activist’s frequent description of the agency as “lawless.”
“We must acknowledge the fact that the DSS, especially under its current leadership, is one of the most professional agencies you can talk about,” Ughegbe said, stressing that the Service “has shown laudable restraint in its dealing with Sowore.”
He added: “You and I know, and I think many Nigerians know, that the DSS has capacity, if they are interested in doing anything untoward to Sowore. More than anything else, the DSS has been graceful.”
Ughegbe, however, cautioned that this goodwill does not place the DSS above scrutiny, nor should it mean that allegations against the agency are dismissed. Public institutions, he argued, must be judged on evidence, with their actions assessed in context rather than on “wild allegations.”
He also warned against sweeping condemnation of security agencies, saying institutional shortcomings do not invalidate every action they take.
For Ughegbe, accountability must run in both directions — applying to public institutions and to figures like Sowore who make allegations against them.
“That you are a part-time activist, or politician does not equally place you above scrutiny. The fact that Sowore is a political actor in the upcoming presidential election is the more reason why we should scrutinise every of his words and actions, to ensure that those who want to lead us lead by example,” he declared.
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