I stand with Nigerians on hate speech bill, says Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has said that those sponsoring hate speech bill are those in power but afraid of Nigerians telling them the bitter truth.He urged those who cannot stand to hear the truth from Nigerians to resign and go home.

The bill against hate speech being sponsored by the Senate spokesperson Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi is currently before the upper legislative chamber.The bill when passed into law, prescribes death penalty for hate speech, which results into death of another person.

But reacting to the development in his twitter handle yesterday, Fayose said that he stands by Nigerians who have been criticising the bill.“This issue of Hate Speech, I stand with Nigerians and anything they say to make the country better. Those of us occupying public offices are doing so in trust for the people, we are not their lords. The power of the people is greater than the power of the people in power.

“When you say the truth to power, tell those of us in power what we are doing wrong, it is not Hate Speech. Rather, it is patriotism. If you are in power and afraid of Nigerians telling you the bitter truth, resign and go to your house.”