TheCable

An All Progressives Congress (APC) support group has asked Nigerians to follow the group on a social media alternative to the now-suspended Twitter — in a tweet.

“Kindly follow @APCNigeria at trenchat.com,” it tweeted at 8:03 am.

Kindly follow @APCNigeria at https://t.co/hdp5HsfbTe pic.twitter.com/eJjkEMLKSA

— APC 🇳🇬 Support (@APCNigeria) June 5, 2021

Advertisement

Owing to the suspension of the microblogging platform by the federal government which took effect on Saturday, the group, which makes several posts on Twitter in support of President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party, will only have been able to post the tweet by bypassing the ban using a virtual private network (VPN).

On Friday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter.

The minister cited “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence” as reason for the suspension.

Hours after the announcement of the ban was made, Aisha, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, deactivated her account.

The suspension by the federal government came two days after a post by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 1967 civil war was deleted by the microblogging platform.

In a statement, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said it has received directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to implement the suspension.

On Saturday, Nigerians woke up to find the microblogging platform inaccessible — proof that the implementation of the ban has commenced.

Many users of the platform had expressed concern over depleting sources of income as Twitter serves as a platform where many youths engage in business.

Several Nigerians have managed to bypass the government’s suspension and continue to use the platform using a virtual private network (VPN).