Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and publisher of Sahara Reporters, told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday that his legal team has deserted him in the ongoing defamation case filed by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Sowore attributed his predicament to the court’s ruling on June 4, which directed him to immediately open his defence or risk forfeiting it. Left without counsel, he personally argued an oral application asking Justice Mohammed Garba Umar to step aside from the case, alleging bias and lack of fair trial.
While DSS counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), did not oppose the recusal request, he objected to any prolonged adjournment. Justice Umar initially scheduled ruling for June 8 but later shifted it to June 15 after Sowore’s plea.
The judge had earlier rejected a request by Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, to delay proceedings until after the court’s July vacation, instead ordering daily hearings beginning June 5.
Sowore faces prosecution for allegedly defaming President Bola Tinubu by calling him “a criminal” in posts shared on his X and Facebook accounts.
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