We met with Sowore, but not on Buhari’s behalf —Presidential aide

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Saturday night confirmed that a presidential team met the detained co-convener of the RevolutionNow# protest, Omoyele Sowore, to discuss his release from detention.

The team was led by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, THISDAY Publisher, Nduka Obiegbena, Isa Funtua and himself

The quartet, according to reports, met Sowore at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja allegedly on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari to negotiate his release.

Shehu, however insisted that the meeting was neither arranged by Buhari nor held on his behalf by the team.

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On what led to the meeting, the presidential spokesman said the idea of interceding for the Sahara Reporters Publisher came from the media community being one of their own.

According to him, the meeting took place about the time Sowore was arrested in August, adding that he had not been arraigned in court at the time.

He said: “Yes, the leadership of the media community asked to see Sowore and they were allowed to meet him.

“Their reasoning is that although he acted as a politician, the fact that he came from the media imposed a responsibility on them to intercede for him. It had nothing to do with President Buhari.”

“This meeting took place very early after his arrest. He hadn’t been charged as of that time.

“Sowore was pleased to receive us. All our leaders asked him to do was, operate within the law. He promised cooperation. He said that his lawyer needed to be talked to. And I am aware that his lawyer had been met.’’

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