Sowore Reacts as DSS Sends Letter to X Over Activist's "Criminal" Tweet
- Activist Omoyele Sowore said he would not delete his post on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu despite a request to do so by the DSS
- The DSS had written to X demanding the deactivation of Sowore’s verified account, saying his recent post on Tinubu could threaten national security
- In a post on Sunday, September 7, Sowore said X officially contacted him about a letter from the DSS demanding the removal of his content
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria.
FCT, Abuja - Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), on Sunday, September 7, 2025, said he will not bow to pressure from the Department of State Services (DSS) to delete a social media post considered extremely critical of President Bola Tinubu.
Legit.ng had reported how the DSS wrote a letter to X (formerly Twitter), demanding the immediate removal of a tweet posted by Sowore within 24 hours.
Source: Facebook
Sowore tackles DSS over Tinubu
According to letter from B. Bamigboye, representing the director general state services, failure of X to remove Sowore's controversial tweet would mean a legal action against the American social media platform.
The letter, addressed to the chairman and the chief executive officer (CEO) of X, demanded the immediate removal of Sowore's controversial tweet on Monday, August 25, 2025, via his verified X handle.
The tweet in question allegedly disparages President Tinubu, claiming he lied about the absence of corruption in his administration during a trip to Brazil. The letter argued that this tweet constitutes misleading information, hate speech, incitement to violence, and a threat to national security, violating Nigerian laws including the Criminal Code Act and the Cyber Crimes Act 2025.
The DSS accused Sowore of intentionally harming the president’s reputation and Nigeria’s image, potentially inciting unrest among Tinubu’s supporters.
Legit.ng recalls that President Tinubu recently said his reforms have sounded the death knell on corruption in Nigeria.
Speaking to investors in Brazil on Tuesday, August 26, Tinubu said his reforms have made the Nigerian economy more competitive, boosted revenue, and strengthened the nation’s finances.
Since taking office in May 2023, Tinubu has introduced a raft of economic policies that have elicited mixed reactions.
The president unified Nigeria’s multiple foreign exchange (FX) windows to enhance forex market stability. Tinubu also ended the petrol subsidy regime, which he described as unsustainable and a stranglehold on Nigeria’s economy.
Reacting to President Tinubu's claim in Brazil, Sowore, a critic of successive Nigerian governments, insisted that corruption is still a challenge in the country.
He wrote on his verified X and Facebook pages, with an accompanying video of the president's speech in Brazil:
"This criminal (referring to President Tinubu) actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!"
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While a few internet users sided with Sowore, many Nigerians took exception to Sowore's description of the president as "this criminal".
Reacting to the DSS' stance over his alleged anti-Tinubu tweet, a defiant Sowore accused the Tinubu administration of 'exporting national disgrace to Twitter'. Te activist said the DSS has 'joined the fray after failure of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Confirming that X had contacted him, Sowore vowed that he 'will not delete the tweet'.
Sowore's statement can be read in full below:
"This morning I woke up to yet another act of national disgrace, an assault on institutions, and on common sense. I had seen it coming since last Tuesday, when a group of hired DSS protesters paraded around the Federal High Court and the Federal Ministry of Justice, chanting that I should “leave Tinubu alone,” even demanding that the DSS arrest me.
"So it came as no surprise to discover a ridiculously crafted letter from the DSS to X (formerly @Twitter), demanding that my Twitter account be deactivated within 24 hours. I won't be surprised if the same has been extended to my @Facebook page, where similar views have gained currency against Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT and redundant, corrupt, and non-performing state governors.
"The brazenness of this is not only unconstitutional, and I need not even mention the constitution, because these guys are outlaws who operate above their own laws; however, this latest self-disgrace by the @OfficialDSSNG is a desecration of national dignity.
"The @officialABAT regime has long hidden behind the Nigeria Police Force to harass, torture, and persecute me.
"First, during the #EndBadGovernance national protest, they ordered the Nigerian Immigration Service @nigimmigration to place me on a 'no-entry' list at all international airports. Following that, the illegal IGP had me arrested for calling him what he is.
"A Federal High Court judge was procured to seize my passport since February 2025. I was then rearrested recently, my cell was broken into by eight armed police officers who injured my right hand, and dragged again to court on trumped-up charges.
"They have gone so far as to falsely declare in open court last week that I am engaged in “terrorism financing,” a shameless pretext to justify unlawful actions and prepare the public for further attacks against me in acts that include the use of state actors masquerading as non-state actors to harm me physically, this is the exact reason the DSS claims that “Tinubu supporters” are angry. But who are these supporters, if not the leadership of the DSS, the @PoliceNG , and other security agencies that have become conscienceless and totally lost to national priority?
"To now export this disgrace to Twitter in the US shows how far Nigeria has sunk into the hands of its most incompetent and dysfunctional citizens, saddled with the responsibility of managing its national security."
He added:
"The DSS and I have been here before under the defunct Buhari regime. The same methods were deployed, force, subterfuge, and hiding behind rogue units. It all fell flat. And just as before, the leading actors will once again disappear into obscurity.
"I have asked Nigerians the most critical question before, and I ask it again: Do you want to continue being held hostage by a tiny, wicked, inhumane band of rogues?
"As for me, there is no going back. The struggle against these criminals continues ceaselessly with or without a Twitter account, with or without Facebook, and whether I am in jail or outside of it.
"The struggle continues."
What could make Sowore sue Tinubu
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Sowore made it clear that he would categorically reject any national award nomination from President Tinubu.
In a post via X, he stated that he would not only denounce the honour but would also take legal action for defamation if he were mistakenly included in the prestigious list.
Source: Legit.ng
