Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Omoyele Sowore, has vowed not to delete his tweet criticizing President Bola Tinubu, despite a reported request from the Department of State Services (DSS) to X, demanding its removal.
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In a post on his X handle on Sunday, Sowore revealed that the social media platform had formally notified him of the DSS’ petition. “This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless DSS over my Tweet on Tinubu. One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X,” he wrote.
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He also shared the message he received from X, which confirmed that the platform had been contacted by the Nigerian secret police regarding his post. The platform noted that while it had received the legal request, no action had been taken against his account.
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The DSS had earlier written to X Corp., accusing Sowore of disparaging the president in a post that described Tinubu as a “criminal” and alleging that his claim of ending corruption in Nigeria was “a shameless lie.” The agency insisted the tweet was dangerous, false, and capable of inciting unrest.
Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and a known critic of successive Nigerian governments, has consistently accused security agencies of clamping down on dissent and free speech. He was arrested by the DSS in 2019 over his “RevolutionNow” protest movement and detained for several months despite court orders granting him bail.
X maintains a policy of alerting users whenever governments or law enforcement agencies make legal takedown requests. The platform faced similar pressure in Nigeria during the 2021 ban under then-President Muhammadu Buhari, after it deleted one of his tweets.
The latest standoff between Sowore and the DSS underscores ongoing tensions over free expression and government criticism online. His defiance is expected to fuel further debate on digital rights, surveillance, and the boundaries of dissent in Nigeria’s democracy.
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