GOMEP-NG Urges National Assembly to Withdraw Data Protection Amendment Bill, Warns Against Threat to Digital Rights

ABUJA – The Guild of Online Media Editors and Publishers of Nigeria (GOMEP-NG) has called on the National Assembly to immediately withdraw the proposed Nigeria Data Protection (Amendment) Bill 2026, arguing that the legislation could pose a significant threat to freedom of expression, press freedom and digital rights in the country.

In a statement signed by its National President, Comr. Akpovoke Otiti, the Guild expressed strong opposition to the bill, urging Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas not to allow the proposed amendment to become law.

According to Otiti, the bill, if passed in its current form, could create an environment capable of restricting the activities of millions of Nigerians who rely on social media and other digital platforms for communication, business, civic engagement and the exercise of their constitutional right to freedom of expression.

“The proposed amendment is unacceptable and should be withdrawn without delay. Nigeria’s democracy must not be weakened through legislation that could be perceived as limiting citizens’ rights to freely express themselves online,” he said.

The Guild also urged the sponsor of the bill, Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North, to reconsider the proposed amendment and withdraw it, maintaining that lawmakers should instead focus on issues that directly promote national development and address the aspirations of their constituents.

Also speaking, GOMEP-NG Nat’l Secretary, Prince Clinton Uba, described the bill as a major concern for online media practitioners, warning that its passage could have far reaching implications for journalists, publishers, content creators and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

He appealed to the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure that any legislation affecting digital platforms is subjected to broad public consultation and aligns with constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and access to information.

GOMEP-NG’s position comes amid growing opposition from civil society organisations, including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), which has similarly urged the National Assembly to withdraw the proposed amendment.

SERAP argued that the bill could amount to indirect regulation of social media by granting the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) broad powers to prohibit or suspend the operations of digital platforms that fail to meet prescribed requirements, including establishing physical offices in Nigeria.

The organisation warned that such provisions may undermine constitutional rights, increase regulatory burdens on technology companies and startups, and negatively affect Nigeria’s growing digital economy.

GOMEP-NG therefore called on lawmakers to reject any legislation that could undermine digital freedoms, insisting that data protection laws should strengthen privacy rights without compromising freedom of expression, media independence and democratic participation.

The Guild maintained that any amendment to Nigeria’s data protection framework should be transparent, inclusive and consistent with the Constitution as well as the country’s international human rights obligations.