Twitter is to hold an online meeting on Tuesday for shareholders to vote on whether to approve Elon Musk's offer to buy the social media giant for 44 billion dollars.

The meeting comes at a time when the company and Musk are locked in a legal battle over the Tesla chief executive's attempt to walk away from the deal.

Twitter's board intends to enforce the buyout agreement, saying it is the best option for shareholders and it is calling on them to back the deal.

If completed, the offer would give shareholders 54.20 dollars for each share they hold, which is far higher than its current share price.

Twitter risks facing a lawsuit from shareholders if it pursues a deal deemed against their interests.

The acquisition agreement requires approval from a majority of shareholders.