A Northern youth organisation has thrown down the gauntlet to former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, challenging him to demonstrate his commitment to free speech by labelling US President Donald Trump a “criminal” on social media platforms.
The Northern Ethic Youth Group Assembly (NEYGYA) issued the dare following Sowore’s controversial social media posts earlier this month, where he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” whilst criticising claims about corruption elimination in Nigeria’s foreign exchange sector.
The challenge comes after the Department of State Service (DSS) hauled Sowore, along with X and Facebook, before the courts on cyberbullying charges against President Tinubu, following the expiry of a seven-day ultimatum for the activist to remove his posts.
Speaking through the group’s spokesman, Mallam Ibrahim Dan-Musa, NEYGYA questioned Sowore’s selective application of his freedom of expression principles.
“We are happy that Sowore talks about his right to freedom of speech. However, since he insists that his right to freedom of speech is absolute, we challenge him to exercise that same right and post that President Donald Trump is a criminal,” Dan-Musa stated in Bauchi yesterday.
The group highlighted what it sees as a double standard in Sowore’s approach, noting similarities between the legal histories of both presidents.
“As a former presidential candidate, it is amusing that Sowore conveniently forgot that Presidents Tinubu and Trump both faced trial before becoming presidents in their respective countries,” the statement read.
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“There is no record of any American calling Trump a ‘criminal’ based on his record of standing trial before becoming president.”
NEYGYA pressed further with their challenge, declaring: “It is on this premise that we challenge Sowore to exercise that same right to freedom of expression and post on X and Facebook that President Trump is a criminal same way he tagged President Tinubu a ‘criminal’.”
The organisation warned that failure to meet their challenge would expose Sowore as someone who “is a coward, plays double standards, and is very unstable.”
Meanwhile, NEYGYA threw its support behind the DSS legal action, describing the security agency’s intervention as crucial for national stability.
“Some of us are aware of the cult following politicians like President Tinubu enjoy. We also know what can happen when such followers feel that their political idol is being threatened,” the group observed.
Drawing parallels with events in the United States, Dan-Musa reminded: “This happened in the US on January 6, 2021, when supporters of Trump stormed the Capitol Hill.”
The group expressed concern about potential unrest, stating: “But for the timely intervention of the DSS on the Sowore post, only God knows the kind of turmoil that would have ensued had supporters of President Tinubu, like those of Donald Trump, taken to the streets to defend their political idol.”
NEYGYA praised the DSS action as “a most timely intervention that averted what would have been a major security crisis across the country.”
