CUPP kicks against proposed social media restrictions

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has kicked against rumoured plans of the Federal Government to restrict Nigerians’ freedom of speech.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, said social media has become a societal menace and must be regulated

This has since sparked several differing comments and controversies.

Reacting to the statement, Spokesperson for CUPP, Mr Mark Adebayo, warned against any attempt to restrict free speech as stated by the 1999 Constitution.

The statement reads, “It has come to our attention the ignoble plans by the current administration to stifle or curtail or restrict or steal the right to free speech constitutionally guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended by its poorly veiled attempts to eventually deny Nigerians access to communication through the social media.

“By whatever name it is called, any plans to take away the rights of Nigerians to free speech will be stoutly resisted by Nigerians and the opposition will be a major force in resisting such an evil agenda.

“We cannot sit and watch a government that has taken food from the tables of Nigerians by its very bad policies, taken security away from them, taken peace from them, taken jobs from them, taken education from them due to mass poverty, taken health from them and now planning to take a fundamental right to freely interact via social media from them. That is not going to happen! Nigeria is not a banana republic and we won’t allow the APC  to turn it into one.

“We equally condemn the recent arrests of Nigerians exercising their right to peaceful protest by security agents. Nigerians are currently experiencing unprecedented hardships and have constitutionally guaranteed rights to peaceful protests and demand for good governance that has eluded them since the advent of the APC in 2015 till date.

“We will not allow any government, whether at the federal or state level to take away the rights of Nigerians to freely exercise their fundamental and democratic rights. It will be resisted to the fullest with all the instruments allowed by law.  Any and all secret plans to restrict the freedom of speech of Nigerians by this administration must be stopped immediately.  The government should rather find solutions to the myriads of socioeconomic challenges it brought on the country.”