The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2023 election, Omoyele Sowore, has filed two lawsuits at the Federal High Court in Abuja, against the Department of State Services (DSS), Meta (Facebook), and X Corp.

The fundamental rights enforcement, aim to counter what Sowore’s legal team calls “unlawful censorship” of his social media accounts.

In a statement on Tuesday by Tope Temokun, a member of Sowore’s legal team, the lawsuits emphasised the critical importance of free expression in Nigeria.

“The survival of free speech is at stake,” Temokun declared, warning that “if state agencies can control what global platforms allow, no Nigerian’s voice is safe from arbitrary silencing by those in power.”

The legal team argues that censoring political dissent violates democratic principles.

They cited Section 39 of Nigeria’s Constitution, which enshrines every citizen’s right to freedom of expression without interference.

“No security agency, regardless of its influence, can override or suppress these constitutional protections,” the statement noted.

Sowore’s lawyers also called out Meta and X, urging them to resist complying with unjust censorship demands. 

“By yielding to authoritarian pressures, these platforms risk becoming tools of oppression,” the team said, emphasising that neutrality is not an excuse for enabling repression.

The lawsuits seek judicial declarations that the DSS lacks the authority to censor Nigerians on social media, that Meta and X must not facilitate state-driven suppression, and that the rights of Sowore—and all Nigerians—to free speech be upheld against illegal censorship.

Sowore rallied public support, saying, “we urge journalists, human rights advocates, and all Nigerians to stand firm. Today, it’s Sowore; tomorrow, it could be anyone.

“This fight is about principle, not individuals, and we will resist any move to transform Nigeria into a digital dictatorship.”

The lawsuits follow a recent DSS action against Sowore, where the agency filed a five-count charge against him at the same court, also naming Meta and X as defendants. 

On September 8, the DSS issued Sowore a one-week ultimatum to remove social media posts it labeled “false, malicious, and inciting” about President Bola Tinubu.

Sowore did not comply by the Monday deadline, neither Meta nor X act on the DSS’s demand to delete his social media accounts.