Twitter: Osinbajo Should Speak Up – Bode George

Chief Bode George, has tasked Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to stop looking and speak up on the constitutionality of the government’s ban on Twitter.

George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spoke as he condemned the indefinite suspension of Twitter operations in the country, saying President Muhammadu Buhari violated the rules of Twitter and not Nigerians.

Speaking in a chat with DAILY INDEPENDENT, George also condemned the silence of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, saying as a constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), he expected him to speak out and advise the President on the proper thing to do.

Nigeria’s information and culture minister Lai Mohammed, who is also a lawyer had announced the suspension of Twitter in a statement by his media aide Segun Adeyemi.

The statement announcing Twitter’s ban was was also published on Twitter via Nigeria’s Ministry of Information and Culture’s handle.

The Nigerian government’s spokesman cited “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence” as the reason for the suspension.

Responding to the seeming silence of Vice-President Osinbajo, who is an erudite lawyer, on the Twitter ban, Bode George said:

“In all these, where is the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo? He is a constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria but he is just sitting down there looking. Will he not be a better adviser to the President?

“Why is he keeping quiet in the face of all these? Is he just Vice-President by name? Is he just a leading member there or a figurehead second in command? He should wake up too and advise the President on constitutional matters”.

Bode George said: “The outright ban of Twitter is not a proper thing to do. This government should be patient in their dealings. If the federal government is angry with Twitter, does that imply that all Nigerians are also at war with Twitter? Were Nigerians consulted before this decision was taken?

“This is scary. It has nothing to do with politics. It is undemocratic and illegal. My advice to oga (President Buhari) is to take things easy. We are in a democracy and not under military rule. When Twitter banned Donald Trump during the US presidential election, why didn’t Trump place an outright ban on Twitter in the whole of the US?”

“Twitter is a private company and if they said the President’s tweet violated their rules and deleted it, let them take it up with Twitter. It is an individual account and not that of the entire country. Were we consulted before the President signed in for Twitter? Why should we be punished for his sins?

Source: Daily Independent

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