Activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the 2023 elections, Omoyele Sowore has vowed not to comply with a demand from the Department of State Services (DSS) to delete a tweet critical of President Bola Tinubu.
Sowore’s defiant stance follows his receipt of an official notification from X (formerly Twitter) regarding a legal request from the Nigerian secret police.
In a post on his X handle, Sowore confirmed that the platform had contacted him about the “despicable threat letter” from the DSS. He explicitly stated, “One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X.”
The message from X, which Sowore also shared, confirmed that the platform had received a request from the DSS alleging that his content violated Nigerian law.
However, X stated that it had “not taken any action on the reported content at this time.”
The platform’s message, which aligns with its transparency policy, informed Sowore of the request and advised him to seek legal counsel or consider other options.
“As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify our users if we receive a legal request from an authorised entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account. We provide notice whether or not the user lives in the country where the request originated.”
“We understand that receiving this type of notice can be an unsettling experience. While X is not able to provide legal advice, we want you to have an opportunity to evaluate the request and, if you wish, take appropriate action to protect your interests.”
TRIBUNE ONLINE earlier reported that the DSS had given X a 24-hour ultimatum to remove Sowore’s tweet, which described President Tinubu as a “criminal” for a statement made in Brazil about corruption.
The DSS letter claimed the tweet was a threat to national security, could incite protests, and violated several Nigerian laws, including the Cyber Crimes Act and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune