1. Putting a Leash on Corruption – The Sowore Template
Omoyele Sowore has achieved something remarkable. While most Nigerians complain endlessly about corruption on social media and in beer parlours, Sowore chose a different route. He petitioned the Attorney General of Florida, requesting that Nyesom Wike be investigated and prosecuted for money laundering disguised as a real estate investment. Armed with documentary evidence, Sowore demonstrated how Wike and his wife allegedly exploited legal loopholes to transfer three American properties to their three children.
This singular act has given us what I call “The Sowore Template” – a powerful weapon that Nigerians and, indeed, Africans can use to hold our corrupt leaders accountable. However, as many of us celebrate and wait for justice to bring down Wike’s bloated ego, we may be missing the revolutionary potential of Sowore’s action.
The International Solution
Sowore’s petition against Wike proves we are not as powerless as we think. By leveraging American anti-money laundering laws, he has shown us a new battlefield where we can fight corruption – one our leaders never saw coming.
Through strategic legal advocacy in Europe and America, we can turn our rulers’ foreign investments into liabilities rather than assets.
. How the Template Works
Step 1: Establish a Financial Baseline: Record the declared financial worth of political and public office holders before, during, and after their tenure. This involves collecting asset declarations filed with the Code of Conduct Bureau, analysing their known sources of legitimate income, and monitoring any significant increases in wealth during public service. This baseline provides the foundation for identifying unexplained wealth, which underpins any corruption petition.
Step 2: Document Foreign Assets: Identify politicians with suspicious foreign assets whose declared income cannot be justified. Thanks to social media and investigative journalism, this information is often hidden in plain sight. Politicians’ children posting from expensive foreign schools, luxury properties appearing in family names, unexplained wealth – all these leave digital footprints that can be systematically catalogued and verified.
Step 3: Legal Research: Every Western country has anti-money laundering laws, asset forfeiture statutes, and legislation related to corruption. These laws often apply to foreign nationals who bring illicit funds into their jurisdictions.
Step 4: Strategic Petitioning: File formal complaints with relevant authorities, backed by irrefutable evidence of the disconnect between declared wealth and actual assets. Unlike Nigeria’s compromised system, Western judicial systems maintain relative independence and must respond to credible allegations of misconduct.
Step 5: Sustained Advocacy: One petition is just the beginning. Sustained pressure through legal channels, media coverage, and civil society engagement can force action even when initial responses are slow.
Expanding the Template
We need to think beyond individual cases. Imagine organised groups of Nigerians systematically targeting the foreign assets of corrupt officials. We could promote new laws that:
1. Prohibit suspected corrupt officials and their families from owning assets, including bank accounts, in Western countries
2. Ban the children, grandchildren, and spouses of corrupt politicians from obtaining permanent residency or citizenship abroad so they cannot enjoy abroad what their politician parents/spouses deny citizens at home
3. Ban suspected corrupt officials from visiting or residing in Western countries even after they leave office
4. Require foreign universities and institutions to scrutinise funding sources from Nigerian public officials
5. Create public databases of asset forfeitures related to African corruption cases
The principle is simple: if you loot Nigeria’s resources, you shouldn’t be able to enjoy the proceeds anywhere in the world. If your corruption denies Nigerian children quality education and healthcare, your own children and spouses shouldn’t access these benefits abroad using stolen funds.
. The Path Forward
The Sowore Template won’t end corruption overnight – that’s not the goal.
The goal is to leash corruption so that it no longer holds Nigerians and Africans in its grip. We can achieve this by removing the international safe havens that make corruption in Africa profitable. When corrupt officials can no longer stash their loot abroad or secure their families’ futures outside Nigeria, the cost-benefit analysis of corruption changes dramatically
This approach offers several advantages over traditional anti-corruption efforts:
1. It bypasses Nigeria’s compromised institutions
2. It leverages stronger legal systems abroad
3. It creates immediate consequences for corrupt behaviour
4. Ordinary citizens can implement it without waiting for government action
©️ _Rev. Fr. Dr. ChukwuEmekalum Nwosuh, OP_
2. Ibas faces criticism for his negative response to the Assembly’s request for an account of his tenure.
There is outrage in Rivers State over the actions and comments of the immediate past Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.). The Rivers State House of Assembly and its citizens are upset over Ibas’s remark that the Assembly cannot ask him to account for his expenditure and actions. He claimed that only President Bola Tinubu can do so.
Dr Reuben Abati of the popular The Morning Show on Arise TV responded to Ibas.
The outrage in Rivers State regarding Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) during his tenure as Sole Administrator arose from deep-rooted constitutional, political, and social grievances. The controversy can be explained through several key areas of dispute.
The table below summarises the core issues that fuelled public anger and led to legal challenges.
1. Constitutional Legitimacy
• Perceived illegal suspension of elected officials (Governor, Deputy Governor, and State Assembly).
• Questionable legal basis for appointing a Sole Administrator, viewed as a military-style intervention in a democracy.
2. Political Bias & Agenda
• Actions perceived to favour Nyesom Wike’s political camp (e.g., LGA appointments)
• Accusations of working to entrench one political faction rather than restoring neutral governance.]
Reactions
• Deepened political divisions and public perception of a partisan agenda
• Loss of confidence in the administrator’s neutrality.
3. Specific Provocative Actions
• “Commando-style” retrieval of official vehicles from the suspended Deputy Governor’s residence
• Defiance of court orders by backdating appointments
Reactions
• Condemnation by groups like Democracy Watch Nigeria as “humiliating” and provocative
• Erosion of trust in due process and the rule of law
4. Perception of Autocracy & Public Discontent
• Governing from the Government House with limited public engagement
• Use of security forces against peaceful protests.
Reaction
]• Calls for a probe into his six-month spending by groups like MOSOP
• Public protests and demands for his removal and the reinstatement of elected officials
A Summary of Discontent
The outcry against Sole Administrator Ibas was varied. It was not just opposition to a person, but a rejection of what was seen as an illegitimate process, that eroded democratic norms. The administrator’s actions, which consistently seemed to favour one political faction, turned the period of emergency rule into a tense, politically charged deadlock, leaving the people of Rivers State feeling excluded and their democratic will suppressed.
2.
Wives of Local government chairpersons of Adamawa State in Turkey to attend a training on how to assist in the smooth running of the LG administration.
That’s what LG autonomy is capable of doing.
With their limited education and financial exposure, LG chairpersons are more reckless than governors.
3. Uncertainty and intrigues on Fubara’s return.
The return of Siminalayi Fubara to office as Governor of Rivers State has been characterised by political uncertainty, public anticipation, and significant questions about the balance of power following the six-month emergency rule.
Here are the core issues.
1. Delayed Return & Political Uncertainty
Governor Fubara did not resume office on the scheduled date (Sept. 18), disappointing thousands of supporters.
Public & Institutional Reactions
Supporters gathered at Government House left disappointed; frantic calls among allies to ascertain his whereabouts.
2. Ongoing Power Struggle
Reports of negotiations over key appointments (SSG, Chief of Staff, commissioners) favouring Wike’s camp have emerged; Wike has publicly denied imposing candidates.
Public & Institutional Reactions
The pro-Wike State Assembly immediately called for the submission of commissioner-nominees and a budget, signalling an intention to assert influence.
3. Shift in Political Dynamics
The August LGA elections, held during the emergency rule, resulted in a victory for Wike’s allies (APC), altering the grassroots power structure.
Public & Institutional Reactions
Analysts note Fubara returns with “vastly reduced” political clout, facing a “mine field” with the Wike-led structure now dominant.
4. Calls for Accountability
The Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibas, claimed to have saved over ₦5 billion from a civil service verification exercise.
Public & Institutional Reactions
Groups like CHRAN call for a probe into the management of state funds during the emergency rule./ The State Assembly also plans to review contracts and expenditures.
5. Constitutional Debates.
The emergency rule itself was criticised as potentially unlawful for suspending elected officials. President Tinubu defended it as necessary to avert a “breakdown of public order”.
Public & Institutional Reactions
A state high court recently struck out a case challenging the emergency, citing a lack of jurisdiction; other cases are still pending in higher courts.
? What to Watch Next
The coming weeks will be critical in determining the political stability of Rivers State. Key things to observe include:
• Formation of the Executive Council: Whom Governor Fubara nominates as commissioners will be the clearest indicator of whether a genuine peace deal has been reached with Nyesom Wike’s camp.
• The Budget Process: The governor’s ability to present and have an appropriation bill passed by the State House of Assembly will be a practical test of the promised cooperation.
• Judicial Pronouncements: The outcomes of the various pending court cases challenging the legality of the emergency rule could have lasting implications for Nigeria’s constitutional governance.
