By Lawal Muazu Bauchi
Give him the slightest opportunity, and he will try to convince you that he knows more about any issue than you do. He presents himself as a crusader against injustice and bad governance, yet he manipulates and twists facts, inserting misleading information to curry favor with the highest bidder. This is Omoyele Sowore—a man who once ran for president but has since descended into the murky trenches of fake activism. It is becoming increasingly clear that Sowore has become a mouthpiece for opposition forces desperate to discredit Governor Bala Mohammed and anyone perceived as a threat to their political interests.
What’s the crux of the matter?
Why is Sowore so fixated on Dr. Abubakar Ahmad, a dubious activist who makes a living out of slandering others? I won’t bandy words justifying Ahmad’s detention—that’s a matter for the courts. However, a cursory glance at the lecturer’s track record reveals an incorrigible troublemaker, bitter at others’ success. He is an unprincipled academic who stoops so low as to invade a person’s private life. Such brazen violations of privacy are intolerable in any civilized society. Besides, Shamsuddeen only rushed to protect his family by rushing to court.
Dr. Abubakar Ahmad crossed a legal and ethical redline by publishing private videos involving Engineer Shamsuddeen Bala Mohammed and his wife—an offense punishable by law. While public figures are often subject to scrutiny, twisting this situation to suggest an attack on free speech in Bauchi is disingenuous. Under Governor Bala Mohammed, Bauchi guarantees freedom of speech in all public forums, including state-owned media—let alone social media, which the state government does not control.
Sowore’s Hidden Agenda
I know Sowore well enough to detect that this propaganda campaign against Shamsuddeen Bala Mohammed—and now his family—has nothing to do with Dr. Abubakar Ahmad’s legal troubles. The lecturer is merely a pawn in a larger political game.
Despite Sowore’s barrage of allegations, he has failed to point out a single instance where the law was actually broken. Instead, he resorts to wild accusations—claiming Justice Rabi Talatu Umar is involved in land grabbing and complicit in Ahmad’s detention. This is nothing but a propaganda tactic aimed at tarnishing Shamsuddeen Bala Mohammed’s reputation, as he is widely believed to be eyeing the Bauchi South Senatorial seat.
Is it a crime for a citizen of Bauchi to legally acquire land? What does Justice Umar’s property have to do with Dr. Abubakar Ahmad? This manufactured outrage was never about the detained lecturer; it’s about smearing Engineer Shamsuddeen Bala Mohammed, whom the opposition sees as a political threat.
A call for deescalation
It’s disheartening to see journalism’s integrity eroded by figures like Sowore. My stance is not blind defense of Shamsuddeen—he has done nothing wrong. Publishing private communications is indefensible, and Ahmad must be held accountable.
Sowore ignores the real issues, using Dr. Abubakar Ahmad as a disposable victim to push an opposition narrative. Instead of escalating tensions, I urge Shamsuddeen to consider withdrawing his charges against Ahmad on the condition that the lecturer retracts his social media posts and refrains from further attacks on Shamsuddeen and his family.
As for Sowore, his escalating rhetoric only confirms that he is being manipulated behind the scenes. While he may have temporarily turned Dr. Abubakar Ahmad into something of a cause célèbre, his antics will backfire. Shamsuddeen Bala Mohammed will emerge from this ordeal stronger—as he always does.
Lawal Muazu Bauchi
Governor Bala’s New Media Aide
He writes from Karofi Bauchi.
