Pascal Oparada
The Socio-Economic and Accountability Project (SERAP) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of prejudice over his comment on the Twitter ban as the case is still pending in ECOWAS Court.
The rights group said it has written to Buhari over his Independence Day broadcast in which he said he has asked that the ban on Twitter be lifted if they meet certain conditions.
“We’ve asked President Buhari to withdraw the impermissible conditions on Twitter, pending the determination of the ECOWAS court suit challenging the legality of #TwitterBan
“This would protect the plaintiffs’ rights, and allow the court to render a decision in the case.
“The open letter sent yesterday, read in part: “The conditions make a mockery of the pending case, and create a risk that the course of justice will be seriously impeded or prejudiced in this case. It is in the public interest to keep the streams of justice clear and pure,” SERAP said in a statement.
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered that the ban be lifted if the social networking company has met the conditions laid down by his government.
He listed the conditions to include the fact that Twitter must pay attention to national security and cohesion; registration, physical presence and representation in Nigeria; fair taxation; dispute resolution and local content.
“As a country, we are committed to ensuring that digital companies use their platform to enhance the lives of our citizens, respect Nigeria’s sovereignty, cultural values and promote online safety,” he said.
“Following the extensive engagements, the issues are being addressed and I have directed that the suspension be lifted but only if the conditions are met to allow our citizens continue the use of the platform for business and positive engagements.”
The Nigerian government suspended Twitter’s operations in Nigeria in June after the social media network deleted a controversial tweet by President Buhari in which he threatened Nigerians from the southeast with violence.
Nigerians have rejected the conditional lifting of the ban.
