Human rights activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has declared that he will not delete a tweet critical of President Bola Tinubu, despite a reported request from the Department of State Services (DSS) to X for its removal.
Sowore revealed this in a post on his X account on Sunday morning, noting that the platform had officially reached out to him about the DSS request.
The activist, journalist, and founder of Sahara Reporters is widely known for his vocal criticism of successive Nigerian governments and his advocacy for transparency, accountability, and good governance. He contested the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections under the AAC and has remained at the forefront of several pro-democracy campaigns.
Earlier, reports states that the DSS wrote to X Corp., demanding the immediate takedown of Sowore’s post, alleging that it disparaged Tinubu and posed a threat to national security.
Rejecting the request, Sowore wrote: “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 also shared the message he received from X, which confirmed the platform had received a legal request from the Nigerian secret police regarding his account.
The message read in part: “Hello @YeleSowore. In the interest of transparency, we are writing to inform you that X has received a request from the Department of State Services regarding your X account, @YeleSowore, that claims the following content violates the law(s) of Nigeria. @YeleSowore, we have not taken any action on the reported content at this time as a result of this request…”
The platform went on to explain its policy of informing users about government requests, stressing that it had not acted on the DSS complaint and advising Sowore to seek legal counsel or explore other responses if necessary.
Sowore has consistently accused the DSS and other state institutions of targeting dissent and stifling free speech, insisting that his comments on Tinubu are constitutionally protected.
The DSS, Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, has long faced accusations from rights groups of harassing critics and silencing opposition voices. In 2019, Sowore was arrested and detained for several months over his “RevolutionNow” protest movement, despite multiple court orders granting him bail.
X (formerly Twitter) maintains a policy of notifying users whenever it receives legal demands from governments worldwide. The platform previously clashed with Nigerian authorities during the 2021 Twitter ban, imposed after the company deleted a tweet by then-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sowore’s latest standoff with the DSS underscores the ongoing battle between government control and citizens’ digital rights in Nigeria. His refusal to delete the tweet is likely to reignite debates on free expression, state surveillance, and the boundaries of dissent in the country’s democratic space.