Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), revealed that the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, prayed for him and expressed confidence in his triumph. This was disclosed in a Facebook post on Sunday after attending the RCCG’s National Thanksgiving Service at its headquarters in Ebute Metta, Lagos. Sowore attended the service on invitation, accompanied by his party’s National Chairman, Samuel Ajeigbe.
According to Sowore, he met privately with Adeboye after the service, and the cleric offered to pray for him. Adeboye stated that he follows Sowore's activities religiously, expressed certainty that his path is honorable, and said he is confident of his triumph. This meeting marked the second time Sowore and Adeboye met at the same venue, with their first meeting taking place in 1996, shortly after Sowore completed his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.
During their first meeting in 1996, Sowore was involved in a campaign against campus cultism. Thirty years later, they met again at the same place, with Sowore describing it as a remarkable coincidence. He thanked members of the church for their warm reception and Adeboye for the conversation and prayers, emphasizing that his visit was not intended to promote a political agenda.
The meeting between Sowore and Adeboye comes as Sowore continues his trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja over social media posts in which he called President Bola Tinubu a “criminal” and alleged corruption in Nigeria. The State Security Service (SSS) is prosecuting him over the posts, with the latest development being a disagreement over whether the SSS Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, should personally appear as a defence witness.
At Friday’s proceedings, Sowore’s lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, renewed the defence’s request for Ajayi to appear in court. The defence wants Ajayi to testify about a letter dated 7 September 2025 asking Sowore to retract his posts about Tinubu. Olumide-Fusika said an SSS official who had earlier testified could not adequately answer questions about the letter because he had acted on Ajayi’s directive.
The defence had earlier withdrawn its application to subpoena Ajayi after the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, appeared in the case in July and opposed the request. The prosecution has since opposed the demand for Ajayi’s personal appearance. The judge adjourned the case until 6 October to rule on whether Ajayi should be compelled to appear personally and testify.
The case against Sowore has garnered significant attention, with many Nigerians following the developments closely. Sowore's supporters have expressed solidarity with him, while his critics have accused him of making inflammatory statements. The court's decision on Ajayi's appearance is expected to have a significant impact on the case, which has been ongoing for several months.
Key points
- Enoch Adeboye prayed for Omoyele Sowore and expressed confidence in his presidential bid.
- Sowore is standing trial over social media posts criticizing President Bola Tinubu and alleging corruption in Nigeria.
- The court will rule on whether SSS Director-General Tosin Ajayi should personally appear as a defence witness on 6 October.
