Sowore criticizes Adekunle Gold over free speech, double standards

Human rights activist and politician Omoyele Sowore has taken to social media to call out Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold, accusing him of hypocrisy in his stance on freedom of expression.

In a post on X, Sowore recalled how Adekunle Gold, back in 2012, openly criticized then-President Goodluck Jonathan without facing arrest or persecution. Sowore argued that such criticism was rightly regarded as free speech at the time, and any attempt to silence Gold would have sparked public outrage.

However, Sowore questioned why Adekunle Gold, who once benefited from the protection of free expression, would now allegedly use the police, courts, and Nigeria’s cybercrime laws against ordinary Nigerians over online banter and social media exchanges.

“You cannot enjoy free speech when you are powerless and criminalize it the moment you become influential,” Sowore wrote, stressing that freedom of expression must apply equally to celebrities, politicians, activists, and everyday Nigerians.

He further criticized the Nigeria Police Force, accusing them of acting as a “private army for the rich and famous,” and urged the judiciary to stop imposing what he described as “outrageous punishments” over internet speech that should not be treated as criminal matters.