Former presidential candidate and African Action Congress (AAC) leader, Omoyele Sowore, has taken a bold step against what he describes as “unconstitutional censorship.” Sowore, through his legal team led by Tope Temokun, has filed two fundamental rights lawsuits at the Federal High Court in Abuja against the Department of State Services (DSS) and social media giants Meta (Facebook) and X Corp.
According to his lawyers, the lawsuits aim to safeguard free speech in Nigeria, stressing that if government agencies can control global platforms, then no Nigerian voice is safe. “This is not just about me—it’s about the survival of free expression in our country,” Sowore emphasized.
“Censorship of political criticism is alien to democracy. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in Section 39, guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of expression, without interference. No security agency, no matter how powerful, can suspend or delete those rights.”
Sowore’s legal team further stressed that Meta and X risk complicity in silencing Nigerians when they comply with unlawful censorship demands, warning that such actions suppress the nation’s fight for freedom and liberty.
“They cannot hide behind neutrality while authoritarianism is exported onto their platforms.”
Among the requests presented by Sowore’s legal counsels before the court are the following.
“That the DSS has no power in law to censor Nigerians on social media; That Meta and X must not lend their platforms as tools of repression; and
That our client’s rights and by extension, the rights of all Nigerians, be fully protected against unlawful censorship.
We call on all lovers of freedom, journalists, human rights defenders, and the Nigerian people to stand firm. Today it is @YeleSowore ; tomorrow it may be you.
This struggle is not about personalities. It is about principle. And we shall resist every attempt to turn Nigeria into a digital dictatorship,” the statement concluded.
Just hours before Sowore’s lawsuits, the DSS slammed him with a five-count charge at the Federal High Court, Abuja, also dragging X Corp and Meta (Facebook) into the legal battle.
