According to a post on his Instagram page on Thursday, December 4, 2025, human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has reacted to comments made about him by the Sultan of Sokoto at an event organised by the Kukah Centre at the National Counterterrorism Centre in Abuja.
The interaction, captured in a video posted by Sowore on Instagram, has sparked widespread public interest. During his speech, the Sultan urged leaders to remain open to criticism and inclusive in their engagements. He said: “So I want to stand there and say, and I urge you, don’t look back. You have criticisms, you have critics, let them talk, but listen.” He advised that those in authority should draw people closer rather than shut them out, adding: “Those who bring close to you, like President Sowore, bring him close.”
Clarifying his remark, he stated: “When I say President, I mean President with small p, not capital P. It’s only President Tinubu who has capital P. So President Sowore, come close. Say you are on mine. There’s nothing wrong in you saying you’re on mine.” He further explained the value of allowing dissenting voices to speak freely. “Because the more you allow somebody to bring out what is in his chest, the better for you and him. The moment you turn down somebody, I tie him, and then you allow him to go his way. I think it’s very important.”
The Sultan expressed both surprise and delight at encountering Sowore at the event. “So when I was coming in, I met President Sowore there. I was very surprised to see him, but I’m also very happy to see him because we’ll hear from him what are the issues that he thinks the government should do or must do for him to be a happier person. Because when he’s happy, the people that follow him, that respect him, that believe in him will also be happy.”
See the screenshot of his post below:
He continued: “And that’s life. But the more you tie somebody down, tie his neck, twist him, and you can’t talk, you’ll be saying, you don’t know what he wants to say. But let him open his mouth and say what he wants to say.” Inviting Sowore to maintain open communication with him, the Sultan added: “So President Sowore, I invite you to feel free to come to me as you used to. We met a couple of times at the peace committee meetings when you were running for president. You may be wondering, you’ll be at this Aso Villa as president. You didn’t say amen.” View, More,
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