Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has stated that the Yoruba Nation agitation led by Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, was secretly funded by President Bola Tinubu to destabilise the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sowore made the claim during a recent episode of his “Times” podcast released on Monday evening, where he spoke on the political dynamics that shaped the agitation in the South-West.
According to him, the agitation was not entirely organic but allegedly influenced by political calculations linked to Tinubu’s presidential ambitions at the time.
“The Sunday Igboho struggle you are saying is funded by Tinubu. Because the problem at that time was that Tinubu was having an issue with Buhari up north. They weren’t going to accept him as a candidate,” Sowore said.
He further claimed that Tinubu, feeling sidelined by northern political interests, allegedly resorted to backing separatist agitation as a pressure tactic.
“And he looked at it and said, ‘I helped you guys to get to power. You guys don’t want my candidacy. I’m going to tell the Yoruba people to leave.’ He started funding them. They have not denied it,” he alleged.
Sowore also accused the Buhari administration of attempting to eliminate Igboho without the knowledge of the Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State at the time.
“So Buhari, being who he is, came and tried to kill Sunday Igboho without informing the governor of Oyo State. They brought special forces from Abuja to come and kill Sunday Igboho,” he claimed.
Recounting the controversial raid on Igboho’s residence in Ibadan in July 2021, Sowore alleged that the activist narrowly escaped death.
“Sunday Igboho was in that house that day, but he was hiding. Before they came back, he had jumped the fence. Even when he was in Benin Republic, he had injuries that they were hiding from you. And he left that night,” he said.
He added that the alleged operation was intended as a warning to Tinubu.
“They wanted to kill him so that Tinubu would know that they were not playing. That’s what happened,” Sowore said.
According to him, Tinubu was eventually forced to back down after the show of force by the Buhari administration.
“So Tinubu had to retreat because it was based on their own security intelligence that Buhari knew Tinubu was behind them. But they had already achieved what he wanted to achieve, which was to scare the Buhari people to know that he has the capacity to disrupt the country,” he added.
Sowore also made a broader claim about political sentiment in northern Nigeria, stating, “An average Northerner, with due respect to them, their issue is unity. If you want to appeal to the North, just say that unity, no wahala. Anybody that discusses anything other than unity is the enemy of the North.”
The allegation comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding Igboho’s recent political stance and his open support for President Tinubu.
Recently, Igboho’s spokesperson, Olayomi Koiki, defended the activist’s backing of Tinubu, insisting that it is a personal decision that does not undermine the broader Yoruba Nation agitation.
Koiki had maintained that Igboho is not the sole leader of the movement and that the struggle for Yoruba self-determination transcends any individual.
“Sunday Igboho is not the leader or the only person fighting for the Yoruba Nation agitation. He is just one among many people involved in the struggle,” Koiki said.
He had stressed that the movement cannot be halted by any single figure, adding, “No one can stop the emancipation of the Yoruba Nation agitation, not even Sunday Igboho himself.”
Koiki had also dismissed criticisms over Igboho’s support for Tinubu, insisting that the activist remains committed to his personal political choices regardless of public backlash.
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https://x.com/i/status/2041272896237060188
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