A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore to start defending himself on Friday, June 5, in the criminal defamation case filed by the DSS.
Justice Mohammed Umar rejected Sowore’s lawyer Marshall Abubakar’s request to pause the trial until after the court’s vacation so Sowore can prep for the 2027 election. The judge said hearings will now run daily, per the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Sowore, an online publisher, is being prosecuted for allegedly calling President Bola Tinubu “a criminal” on X and Facebook. The DSS says the posts were false.
The court drama centered on a letter Sowore wrote on May 19 asking the Chief Judge to reassign the case. Prosecutor Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, told the court the Chief Judge declined that request on May 22 and ordered the trial to continue. Abubakar argued the letter told Sowore to file a formal recusal application.
Justice Umar reviewed the letter himself and disagreed. “There is nowhere the defendant is asked to file an application before this court,” he said. He added Sowore can still file applications before judgment, but right now the law requires him to enter his defence.
Kehinde pushed back on any further delay: “The law is that the defendant shall proceed with his defence. There is no option… It is either they continue, or they are foreclosed.”
The case resumes June 5 for Sowore to open his defence.
