The Concerned Nigerians for the Protection of Human Rights and Rule of Law Initiative has condemned petitions by supporters of Peter Obi, the Labour Party, LP, and the presidential candidate to ban dissenting voices against their preferred candidate.
The group said the call to ban socio-political commentators like Reno Omokri, Omoyele Sowore, Deji Adeyanju, and Sega Awosanya from Twitter for opposing Obi’s ambition should be condemned.
The Adeyanju-led group said Obi’s supporters are trying to stifle freedom of speech under a democratic dispensation.
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A statement signed by the group’s spokesperson, Theophilus Abu Agada, said Obi’s supporters should stop threatening those with dissenting voices.
He said: “It is the duty of Big Tech companies to moderate content that could lead to violence or illegal activity and not individuals writing petitions against opposition voices they consider as threats to their political agenda.
“The attempt by Obi’s supporters to stifle free speech is anti-democratic and should be condemned by all and sundry. Free speech is one of the building blocks of every democratic society and as a group, we call on Obi’s supporters to stop threatening people who are indifferent about their candidacy of Obi.
Concerned Nigerians stressed that the country’s constitution protects the right to free speech and freedom of association, hence Obi’s supporters would be trying to take Nigeria “back to the dark days of military regimes where free speech was criminalised and freedom of association was subject to the whims and caprice of the military dictator.”
“May that day never return where dissenting voices will be de-platformed simply for having dissenting opinions.”
The group charged those inciting violence and agitating for an “ethnic and religious agenda to desist forthwith.”
