By Adetayo Omotoyosi Adeolu
A Lagos lawyer, Festus Ogun, has dragged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to court for blocking him on X. Festus made this known on his X page, asking the court to compel the governor to unblock and apologise to him, stating that the situation has affected his mental health.
He said, “I have gone through mental stress and trauma over this matter but I will not ask for damages so I won’t be seen as a gold digger. Just unblock me.”
The lawyer noted that he noticed Sanwo-Olu had blocked him in 2021 on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu due to his constructive criticism of his policies. He added that the reason for blocking him also includes his demand for accountability on the 2020 EndSARS killings that occurred in Lagos.
He lamented that due to the Governor’s action, he has been unable to access public updates and information about the policies and governance in Lagos. Ogun described the action of Sanwo-Olu as a violation of his right to receive information.
“It is my case that blocking me on X has prevented me from accessing public updates and receiving information about policies and governance in Lagos (since he uses the X account to post only official, policies and governance matters which constitutes a violation of my right to receive information without interference, subsumed under the right to freedom of expression.”
“Also, by blocking me owing to my criticism of his administration and my demand for transparency, the Governor has violated my fundamental rights to freedom from discrimination on the basis of political viewpoint or opinion. I invited the Nigerian court to be persuaded by the decision of the US District Court in Knight First Amendment Institute v Trump where President Trump was found to be in violation of the 1st Amendment when he blocked US citizens for criticising him on Twitter. I feel haunted, traumatized and emotionally disturbed by the knowledge that the Governor of Lagos State, where I live and work as a legal practitioner, has targeted, singled me out and blocked me on X.”
The aggrieved lawyer stated that his move to approach the court is for the judiciary to put an end to the trend and also show that intolerance to criticism and accountability has no place in the constitution and democracy.
“This suit is not just about me. I have filed this lawsuit in furtherance of public interest and with the hope that it sets a precedent in our digital rights jurisprudence,” he noted.
Mr Ogun also decried the highhandedness of the Nigerian government on critics, journalists, bloggers and vocal citizens on social media using what he called “arrests, detention, surveillance, collusion with big techs and outright blocking, as weapons.”
“That narrative must stop and we have a collective duty to invite the judiciary to put an end to it,” he concluded.
