Sanwo-Olu bows to pressure, meets activist who sued him over Twitter block

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has bowed to public pressure in the ongoing digital rights debate by unblocking human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, on X (formerly Twitter), after the activist sued him for alleged rights violations.

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Mr Ogun confirmed the development in a Saturday night post, revealing that the governor had invited him to Lagos House, Marina, for a brief meeting aimed at resolving the matter.

“Sanwo-Olu has unblocked me on X (Twitter). I met briefly with him yesterday at Lagos House Marina, on his invitation, to amicably resolve my complaint of human rights violations. We will continue to hold authorities accountable, regardless. Aluta continua!” he wrote.

The move comes barely two weeks after Mr Ogun filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Lagos, challenging the governor’s decision to block him since 2021 after he criticised government policies and demanded accountability for the October 2020 #EndSARS protest killings.

In his suit, the activist argued that the action violated his constitutional rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and protection from discrimination.

He insisted the case was not merely about personal grievance but about setting a precedent in Nigeria’s digital rights jurisprudence.

“This suit is not just about me. It is in furtherance of public interest and with the hope that it sets a precedent in our digital rights jurisprudence,” Mr Ogun had said when filing the case.

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He asked the court to declare the governor’s action unconstitutional, order him to unblock his account, restrain public officials from blocking citizens on social media, and mandate a public apology.

He also cited the landmark 2019 U.S. ruling in Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump, where a federal court held that former President Donald Trump violated citizens’ rights by blocking them on Twitter.

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By unblocking the activist, Mr Sanwo-Olu appears to be retreating from a position that had raised serious concerns about the misuse of state power in the digital space.

Still, Mr Ogun emphasised that the struggle for accountability continues, warning that blocking critics on official platforms denies them access to governance information.

For digital rights advocates, the episode highlights a growing test of Nigeria’s democracy in the age of social media: whether public officials can lawfully silence dissenting voices online while using the same platforms for official communication.

Mr Sanwo-Olu has yet to issue a public statement on his meeting with the activist, but observers say the unblocking is itself a tacit acknowledgment of the pressure for transparency and respect for citizens’ rights in the digital era.