Federal High Court accuses AAC candidate of disobeying court order in criminal defamation case.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has revoked the bail granted to the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, and issued a bench warrant for his arrest over his absence from court.
Justice Mohammed Umar, in a ruling on Tuesday, said Sowore failed to appear for proceedings and did not provide a convincing reason for his absence.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged criminal defamation following comments made about President Bola Tinubu on his social media platforms.
The judge said the defendant had shown a lack of commitment to the trial, which had entered the defence stage, and noted that several adjournments had been granted at Sowore’s request.
Justice Umar held that Sowore was in disobedience of the court’s order for day-to-day hearing of the case and consequently revoked his bail.
The court also issued a bench warrant to compel his appearance and adjourned the matter until June 22 for ruling on Sowore’s application seeking the judge’s recusal from the case.