Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has deactivated the account of human rights activist and politician Omoleye Sowore after he repeatedly attacked Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023.
Although the reason for Facebook’s deactivation of the account is still unclear, some of his followers have begun to appeal to Facebook to reinstate the account.
One of Omoyele Sowore’s supporters, Emmanuel Larry, has asked Facebook to reinstate his account, submitting an urgent request for account reinstatement.
“Dear Facebook SupportTeam,”
“I am reaching out to urgently request the immediate restoration of the Facebook account of Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore), a prominent Nigerian human rights advocate, journalist, and political figure.”
“His account was recently deactivated without any clear justification or prior notice of violations. We are deeply troubled by the possibility that this action may stem from political bias or external pressures, particularly from those unsettled by his outspoken commitment to justice and democratic change.”
” As a global platform, Meta/Facebook has a duty to safeguard free speech, not stifle it. The deactivation of Mr. Sowore’s account raises concerns about politically driven motives, which erodes the platform’s integrity as an impartial space for discourse and activism.”
We respectfully demand the following:
1. The prompt restoration of Omoyele Sowore’s Facebook account.
2. A clear and public explanation for the account’s deactivation.
3. A public assurance from Meta /Facebook to uphold political neutrality and protect the voices of human rights advocates.
“Suppressing an activist’s voice through account deactivation is tantamount to censorship. If this issue is not resolved promptly, we will pursue further action through legal, civic, and international channels.”
