Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has criticised activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, for describing President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
Sowore, in an August 25 post on X (formerly Twitter), accused Tinubu of lying after the President claimed during a visit to Brazil that corruption no longer existed in Nigeria.
“This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!,” Sowore wrote.
In response, the Department of State Services (DSS) filed criminal charges against Sowore for defamation, citing alleged violations of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes and Terrorism Prevention laws. The agency also petitioned X and Meta to delete the post, calling it a threat to national security.
Sowore has refused to take down the tweet, insisting that the DSS is attempting to silence dissent. He described their actions as “despicable.”
Speaking on Thursday during the flag-off of the Arterial Road N1 construction in Wuye, Abuja, Wike condemned Sowore’s remarks, stressing that Tinubu’s tolerance reflects his respect for democratic values.
“This is a country where somebody on social media will say Mr President is a criminal; nothing will happen. You say all kinds of things you want to say, but nothing will happen.
“No matter how you see people criticise Trump, have you ever seen any American citizen on social media, or in the public, say our President is a criminal? Have you heard that?
“But here, anybody can wake up in the morning and abuse the President, and we are happy. You are lucky you have a President who believes in the rule of law. You are lucky. Continue to be lucky. There are those you will meet that you won’t be lucky again,” Wike warned.
