Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore says he witnessed several defining moments in Nigeria’s political history firsthand, including the 1990 Gideon Orkar coup attempt.
Speaking during an interview on the PAP Show, Sowore recalled that he and others went to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) station in Ikeja to celebrate after learning of the coup attempt. He said they left shortly before soldiers arrived with an armoured tank, describing it as a narrow escape.
“We were jubilating on the day, the Orkar Coup, we had gone to a TV station to celebrate it, we were lucky, shortly after we left the military came and rolled an armoured tank,” Sowore said.
He added that records and photographs show he was with the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola in 1993 at the age of 21. Sowore, who said he entered university in 1989, also recalled witnessing or participating in major political events, including the postponement of elections under former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, the June 12, 1993 presidential election, and the deaths of MKO Abiola and former Head of State Sani Abacha.
