Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has blasted President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly threatening Twitter for deleting his tweets on Wednesday.
Starnews Nigeria reports that the federal government of Nigeria on Wednesday lashed out at social media giant, Twitter, for playing alleged double standards on issues concerning Nigeria’s domestic issues, describing the company’s role in Nigeria as suspect.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, reacting to questions over the reported deletion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweets reminiscing Nigerians’ experiences during the civil and warning to armed secessionists in the Southeast region of the country on Tuesday, said Twitter had not been fair to Nigeria.
According to the Minister, while the social media giant had conveniently ignored inciting tweets by the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and his cohorts, displaying the same biases it did during the #ENDSARS protest, where government and private properties were looted and set on fire, all in the name of right to protest, it found the President’s tweets offensive.
The President, in series of tweets on Tuesday, via his verified Twitter handle, @MBuhari, had tweeted “many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”
Twitter, however, deleted the tweet, stating, “this Tweet violated the Twitter Rules”.
Reacting to Twitter’s action, Mohammed said “Twitter may have its own rules; it’s not the universal rule. If Mr. President, anywhere in the world feels very bad and concern about a situation, he is free to express such views. Now, we should stop comparing apples with oranges. If an organisation is proscribed, it is different from any other which is not proscribed.
But in a swift reaction to the alleged threat by the Federal Government against Twitter, Fayose said “Nigeria is boiling everywhere and all that the President can do is to be threatening genocide up and down?
On his verified Twitter Account, Fayose wrote:
“When is Mr President Buhari using his power as Commander-in-chief to “show Twitter pepper” for deleting his tweets? Or Twitter will just delete our President’s tweets like this and there won’t be consequences?”
“Nigeria is boiling everywhere and all that the President can do is to be threatening genocide up and down?”
“Now that Twitter has dealt with our almighty President Buhari, won’t he “deal” with Twitter too?”
“Like Trump, like Buhari.”
“It is obvious that those exercising President Buhari’s powers for him do not know when and where to stop their power-madness.”
“Regrettably, Twitter may not know that President Buhari is not the one operating any handle. Can our President operate Android Phone not to talk of making genocidal tweets?”
“A president who cannot address his own people in time of crisis can certainly not be the one tweeting on the crisis.”
“Twitter should rather hold Garba Shehu, Lie Mohammad and co accountable
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