Justice Mohammed Umar adjourned the case until November 3 for the adoption of addresses and continuation of the defence.
FILE PHOTO: Omoyele Sowore.
The trial of African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, over alleged cyberbullying was stalled on Thursday after he was absent from court and wrote to seek an adjournment.
At the mention of the case before the Federal High Court in Abuja, prosecuting counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), noted Sowore’s absence.
Defence counsel, T. O. Etonyeaku, who said she was holding the brief of Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), told the court that Sowore had travelled to Ekiti State for his presidential campaign activities.
Etonyeaku asked the court to stand down the matter to allow another senior lawyer, who had been in court before proceedings began, to arrive and conduct the defence.
Justice Mohammed Umar, however, drew the attention of both lawyers to a letter personally written to the court by Sowore and asked Kehinde if he was aware of it.
Kehinde said he had not been copied on the letter. He argued that it was improper for a defendant represented by counsel to write directly to the court without copying the prosecution.
He added that since there was no evidence that Sowore had discontinued the services of his lawyer, Olumide-Fusika, the defendant ought not to have written to the court personally.
The prosecution counsel, however, agreed to an adjournment in the interest of justice.
Kehinde also told the court that the defence was yet to respond to a written address he filed, as directed by the court, on whether he could be subpoenaed to testify as a defence witness.
Justice Umar adjourned the case until November 3 for the adoption of addresses and continuation of the defence.
The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Sowore over posts he published on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook in August 2025, in which he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” and accused him of lying about the level of corruption in the country.
