Publisher of Sahara Reporters and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) Omoyele Sowore has rejected a directive from the Department of State Services (DSS) to delete a social media post critical of President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement on X on Sunday, Mr Sowore said that he would not comply with what he described as an attempt to silence dissent.
“This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless @OfficialDSSNG over my Tweet BELOW on Tinubu. One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X,” he wrote.
The post at the centre of the controversy was made on August 26 when Sowore described Tinubu as a “criminal” after the president’s comments on corruption during a visit to Brazil.
Sowore tweeted, “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
According to a message from X, which Sowore shared, the DSS claimed the tweet violated Nigerian laws, including the Cyber Crimes Act and the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act.
The agency said the content threatened national security and could incite protests.
X confirmed receiving the request but said it had “not taken any action on the reported content at this time.”
The platform explained that under its transparency rules, it notifies users when governments or law enforcement seek to restrict their posts.
Reports had earlier indicated that the DSS gave X a 24-hour ultimatum to delete the tweet.
Omoyele Sowore has had several clashes with security agencies in the past.
He was previously detained on charges linked to his calls for nationwide protests.
