By Seye Oladejo
The latest online frenzy christened “Adeyemigate” is yet another reminder that in today’s Nigeria, social media has become the preferred venue for instant convictions, where evidence is optional, emotions are supreme, and reputations are destroyed at the speed of a trending hashtag.
The disturbing phenomenon should worry every patriotic Nigerian.
It is becoming increasingly fashionable for politically motivated actors, content creators and digital propagandists to substitute facts with speculation, elevate allegations to convictions, and expect the public to abandon reason in favour of orchestrated outrage. Unfortunately, this culture is steadily eroding the very foundation of our democratic values.
The latest target is the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
Predictably, the social media merchants have convened their familiar courtroom. Without a charge being proved, without evidence being tested, and without competent authorities completing their work, they have already written the judgment and pronounced the sentence.
That is not justice.
That is digital lynching.
One does not have to agree with every government policy or every public official to appreciate a simple democratic principle: every Nigerian is entitled to fair hearing, due process and the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.
Those who now seek to convict Gbajabiamila through carefully curated narratives should remember that social media is not recognised anywhere in our Constitution as a court of competent jurisdiction.
Hashtags are not evidence.
Trending topics are not judgments.
Influencers are not judges.
Anonymous accounts are certainly not prosecutors.
If allegations have been made, let the appropriate security and investigative agencies do their work professionally and without interference. Let evidence speak louder than emotions. Let institutions, not internet mobs, determine the facts.
The growing appetite for trial by social media represents one of the greatest dangers confronting our democracy. It encourages selective outrage, rewards misinformation and empowers those who understand that a lie repeated often enough online can temporarily masquerade as truth.
We have seen this script repeatedly.
An allegation surfaces.
Political opponents amplify it.
Content creators monetise it.
