Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X, has declared that the platform would remain a space where all sides of an argument are heard, adding that content moderation is handled through community-driven mechanisms.
The declaration comes amid a request by the Nigerian government for the suspension of African Action Congress, AAC, presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore’s account over posts critical of President Bola Tinubu.
The Department of State Services had written to X Corp., demanding the immediate takedown of a tweet posted by Sowore, saying it disparaged Tinubu and posed a threat to national security.
The security agency warned of “far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures” if X fails to take down the tweet and its attendant retweets within the stipulated 24-hour period.
In a tweet posted by Sowore on 25 August, he criticised a foreign trip to Brazil by President Tinubu and the statement the president made during the trip.
“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,” Mr Sowore said.
In a post on his X handle on Sunday, Elon Musk wrote: “On this platform, the people decide the narrative. You hear all sides of an argument. Community Notes corrects everyone, no exceptions. Notes data & code is public source. Grok provides further fact-checking.”
Meanwhile Sowore, a former presidential candidate and publisher of Sahara Reporters, has vowed not to delete the tweet despite a reported request from the Department of State Services to X, demanding its removal.
Sowore, has been a vocal critic of the Tinubu administration. His posts on X have repeatedly drawn the attention of government authorities.
