Human rights activist and former 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 formal request from Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) to X (formerly Twitter) demanding its removal.

Sowore disclosed on Sunday that X had officially notified him of the DSS request.

According to him, the social media platform confirmed receiving a legal complaint from the Nigerian secret police, alleging that his post violated national laws.

In his response, Sowore vowed to stand his ground, writing: “This morning, X 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.”

The activist, publisher of Sahara Reporters and a consistent critic of successive Nigerian governments, has frequently accused security agencies of suppressing dissent.

He noted that the attempt to pressure X into censoring his post was yet another attack on constitutionally guaranteed free speech.

X, in its message to Sowore, explained that while it had received the DSS request, no action had been taken against the post.

The company reiterated its policy of informing users whenever governments or law enforcement agencies file takedown demands, whether or not the user resides in the country concerned.

This episode adds to a history of confrontations between Sowore and the DSS.

In 2019, he was arrested and detained for months over his “RevolutionNow” protest movement, despite multiple court orders granting him bail. Rights groups have repeatedly accused the agency of clamping down on opposition voices and restricting civic freedoms.

The standoff also revives memories of Nigeria’s 2021 ban on Twitter, imposed after the platform deleted a post by then-President Muhammadu Buhari.