The minority caucus in the House of Representatives has strongly condemned the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government.
The caucus in a statement issued on Saturday by Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, described the suspension as “provocative, and unjustifiable.”
Elumelu described the decision as a clear violation of freedom of speech and other democratic rights and tenets as provided by the 1999 constitution.
According to him, the suspension “smacks of intolerance and aversion of the opinions of Nigerian citizens, especially the youth, on matters of state.”
“We reject this thoughtless decision of the Federal Government, which amounts to a direct infringement on the rights of Nigerians to free speech as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
“It further shows the All Progressives Congress-led administration is unwilling to listen to Nigerians but ready to use any means to suppress its citizens.
“The minority caucus is disturbed that the suspension of Twitter in the country came after the social media platform deleted President Buhari’s tweets.
“The minority caucus cautions that the development is capable of worsening the situation in the country,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Twitter on Saturday promised to restore access to its new platform to all Nigerians.
A tweet by Twitter’s Public Policy on Saturday said open internet is an essential human right and it will help Nigerians who rely on its platform connect with the world.
The micro-blogging site, made the vow in reaction to the indefinite suspension slammed on it by the Nigerian Government.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed explaining the reason for the ban, said Nigerians were persistently using the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
The action taken by the Nigerian government now puts the country in the class of North Korea, Iran, China and Turkmenistan that banned access to Twitter.
Mohammed, had on Friday announced the suspension of Twitter during a press conference in Abuja.
Explaining the reason for the ban, Mohammed had said Nigerians were persistently using the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
Nigeria’s Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has threatened immediate prosecution of anyone who violates the order
The action taken by the Nigerian government now puts the country in the class of North Korea, Iran, and China that banned access to Twitter.