[SAN FRANCISCO] An activist investor known as a major Republican political supporter wants to wrest control of Twitter from co-founder and chief executive Jack Dorsey, US media reported Friday.

Elliott Management, founded by billionaire Paul Singer, has acquired a stake in the social media firm and wants to remove Mr Dorsey, CNBC said, citing an unnamed source.

The firm pushed for the change stating that Mr Dorsey's attention is divided between running Twitter and his financial transactions startup Square, and that Mr Dorsey intends to live part of each year in Africa.