The minority caucus in the House of Representatives has strongly condemned the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government.
The caucus in a statement issued on Saturday by Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, described the suspension as “provocative, and unjustifiable.”
Elumelu described the decision as a clear violation of freedom of speech and other democratic rights and tenets as provided by the 1999 constitution.
According to him, the suspension “smacks of intolerance and aversion of the opinions of Nigerian citizens, especially the youth, on matters of state.”
“We reject this thoughtless decision of the Federal Government, which amounts to a direct infringement on the rights of Nigerians to free speech as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
“It further shows the All Progressives Congress-led administration is unwilling to listen to Nigerians but ready to use any means to suppress its citizens.
“The minority caucus is disturbed that the suspension of Twitter in the country came after the social media platform deleted President Buhari’s tweets.
“The minority caucus cautions that the development is capable of worsening the situation in the country,” the statement said.