Summary: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lost his blue verification checkmark on X just two days after publicly calling out platform owner Elon Musk. Coincidence? Nigerians don’t think so.
If you have been on X (formerly Twitter) this week, you don already know say the app don turn full drama ground. This time, the wahala is coming from across the Atlantic — and e get as e be.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani woke up on Friday, November 6, to discover say his blue verification tick don disappear from his personal X account. And here is the part that will make you raise eyebrow — the checkmark vanished just two days after he publicly went after Elon Musk, the billionaire who owns the platform.
Who Poked the Lion?
As any sharp Nigerian will tell you, there is a popular saying: “You no go put your hand inside lion mouth and expect am to smile.” Apparently, Mayor Mamdani did not get that memo.
The New York City mayor had taken to X to criticise Elon Musk, clearly unbothered about the fact that he was doing so on Musk’s own platform. Two days later? Blue tick — gone. Poof. Like NEPA took light.
Coincidence Or Musk Being Musk?
Now, X management has not officially confirmed whether the removal was directly connected to Mamdani’s comments about Musk. But Nigerians — who have seen this kind of power play from government officials and big men alike — are not waiting for any press release before drawing their conclusions.
After all, we know how this thing works. When you chook your mouth for where e no concern you, especially when the person you are talking about owns the whole building, you should not be surprised when the door locks behind you.
The Bigger Picture
This incident is adding fresh fuel to ongoing conversations about whether X, under Musk’s ownership, is truly a free speech platform — or whether “free speech” only applies when you are not talking about the oga at the top.
For many Nigerians who rely on X daily for business, news, and sharp banter, this kind of story hits close to home. We have seen how platforms can be weaponised, and we know the difference between coincidence and calculated action.
Whether this was a technical glitch, a policy enforcement, or a direct response to the mayor’s comments, one thing is clear — on X, Elon Musk remains the ultimate landlord. And as we say for Naija: “Na the person wey own the compound set the rules.”
Mayor Mamdani don learn that lesson the hard way. The question now is — will he keep talking or fall in line?
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