Activist and politician Omoyele Sowore has vowed never to delete a tweet critical of President Bola Tinubu, despite pressure from Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS).
Sowore revealed this on his official Facebook account on Sunday morning, that X (formerly Twitter) notified him after receiving a formal request from the DSS demanding that his post be taken down on Saturday. He described the agency’s action as a “despicable threat” and stressed: “One option I will not be taking is deleting that tweet.”
In its notice to Sowore, X confirmed it had received the request but clarified that no action had been taken on the reported content. The company reiterated its policy of informing users whenever governments or law enforcement agencies submit takedown demands, regardless of whether the user resides in that country.
“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 authorized entity … to remove content,” the platform explained.
Recall that LensNews had earlier reported that the DSS formally demanded that X take down the tweet, describing it as disparaging to President Tinubu and a threat to national security.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate and publisher of Sahara Reporters, has had a long history of confrontations with Nigeria’s security agencies over his activism and criticism of government policies. In 2019, he was arrested by the DSS and charged with treason after calling for nationwide protests tagged “RevolutionNow.”
The latest development highlights the continuing tension between the outspoken activist and state authorities, raising questions about free speech, government accountability, and the limits of political dissent in Nigeria’s digital space.