The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has said he was teargassed at the Palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, because palace officials wanted him to prostrate forcefully for the revered king.
He said forceful prostration before traditional rulers is denigration of persons in the 21st century.
Speaking during a visit to the Lagos office of Media Trust Limited, Sowore said he was teargassed alongside 100 supporters who went with him to the Palace of the Ooni after bowing to greet the throne.
He also alleged that after being teargassed, they were physically attacked by thugs within the palace premises.
“When we went back after we were teargassed to pay homage, they complained that my chest did not touch the ground. In this modern age and time, who is there wanting another man to prostrate and roll on the ground for him?
“If you are a Kabiyesi riding Rolls Royce, you should have rolls royce conduct. We have many traditional practices that have gone with modernization. The idea of making a man to prostrate or a woman to kneel down before another man is denigration of persons,” he said.
Speaking on his political ambition, Sowore said his intention to become president of Nigeria come 2019 is to revolutionize politics in the country.
He described the politics being played in Nigeria as largely against the interest of the people for whom politics should be a positive advantage.
He made known his intention to bring in new players, energized and sensitized Nigerians to the political front as well as mobilize them to take their country back from the elements who have been in charge of politics for more than 58 years.
Having moved round some states of the country in the past eight months, Sowore said he has found out that the country is completely ungoverned territory and has no presence of government.
“Many parts of the country has no presence of government except in some circumstances where you have law enforcement agents to suppress and oppress people but in terms of social amenities, education, infrastructure, power supply and security; government is absent in the lives of most Nigerians,” he said.
“Nigeria has the problem of gerontocracy and morontocracy. Apart from the old ones who are gerontocrats, there are also young ones who are morons who are aiding and abetting the gerontocrats. The system has to be flushed from both the gerontocrats and the morons too and the rest of the political operators who are holding this country back,” he said.
He promised to get rid of cabals and godfatherism in Nigeria if elected president come 2019.
