The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, has lashed out at African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, over his description of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal.”
Recall that on August 25, Sowore tweeted, while referencing a video of Tinubu’s visit to Brazil.
According to him, “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!”
The post brewed a response from the Department of State Services (DSS), which filed criminal charges against Sowore for defamation, citing breaches of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes and Terrorism Prevention laws.
The agency also wrote to social media platforms X and Meta to demand the removal of the tweet, describing it as a threat to national security and public order.
Sowore refused to comply, calling the DSS action “despicable” and an attempt to silence dissent.
Reacting, Wike accused him of abusing his freedom under a tolerant president.
He wrote: “This is a country where somebody on social media can call the President a criminal and nothing happens. You say all kinds of things you want to say, and nothing happens.
“No matter how much people criticise Trump, have you ever seen any American citizen on social media or in public say their President is a criminal? Have you heard that?
“But here, anyone 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 with again.”
