Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has accused operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) of subjecting him to discriminatory treatment during the National Peace Committee’s Peace Accord signing ceremony for the 2027 general elections.
Sowore said the incident exposed what he described as a troubling culture within Nigeria’s security system, where political relevance is seemingly measured by the size of a candidate’s convoy, the number of security personnel surrounding them and the display of wealth and privilege.
According to Sowore, he arrived at the venue without an elaborate convoy of expensive vehicles or heavily armed escorts, only to be stopped at the entrance by DSS operatives. One of the officers reportedly demanded to see his invitation letter, despite subsequently acknowledging that he knew Sowore was a presidential candidate.
He said the situation became more striking when another presidential candidate arrived with a long convoy and was allegedly allowed into the venue without experiencing similar scrutiny.
Sowore further alleged that security personnel initially told him that he could not enter with members of his staff. He said his camera crew was subsequently also barred from accompanying him.
Rather than accept what he considered unequal treatment, Sowore said he challenged the decision and insisted on being treated with the same dignity and respect accorded to other presidential candidates.
His complaint comes against the backdrop of the National Peace Committee’s longstanding role in promoting peaceful and credible elections in Nigeria. The Committee, established in 2014, describes its core values as including fairness, justice, transparency, integrity and meritocracy. Its stated objective is to support peaceful democratic participation and help prevent electoral competition from degenerating into violence.
The latest national Peace Accord was signed in Abuja on August 18, 2026, ahead of the commencement of the 2027 election campaign. Reports indicate that presidential candidates and political stakeholders used the occasion to commit themselves to peaceful, issue-based campaigns and to reject violence, hate speech and forms of political incitement.
That context makes Sowore’s complaint particularly significant. If political actors are being asked to uphold fairness, tolerance and respect for democratic institutions, he argues that those same principles should also guide the institutions responsible for securing political events.
Sowore’s central objection was therefore not simply about being stopped at a gate. It was about what he perceived as a hierarchy of privilege—where candidates arriving with massive convoys and visible security protection receive automatic recognition, while those who arrive with fewer resources are subjected to additional scrutiny.
“I refused to accept this discriminatory treatment,” was the thrust of his position, insisting that a Peace Accord involving presidential candidates should not become an occasion where candidates are treated according to their perceived status, wealth or political influence.
He maintained that he insisted on his rights and refused to succumb to what he described as discriminatory conduct. Eventually, he said, he and his team were allowed through.
The episode raises a broader question about the relationship between security, protocol and equal political participation in Nigeria. Security screening is undoubtedly necessary at high-profile political gatherings, particularly events involving presidential candidates and senior government officials. However, the application of such measures must be consistent, transparent and non-partisan.
For Sowore, the real test of the Peace Accord begins before candidates even reach the campaign trail. If Nigeria is serious about building a democratic culture founded on equality, then access to political spaces should not depend on the size of a convoy or the spectacle of official protection.
A Peace Accord, after all, should symbolise peace, fairness and equal treatment—not privilege for those who arrive with the biggest convoy.
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