Judge rejects bid to delay proceedings, orders daily hearing as DSS prosecution enters defence stage.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered former presidential candidate and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, to open his defence in his ongoing trial over alleged criminal defamation of President Bola Tinubu.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over social media posts in which he allegedly referred to the President as “a criminal.”
At Wednesday’s proceedings, the court considered a response from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, who declined Sowore’s request for the case to be reassigned to another judge and directed that the matter continue before Justice Umar.
The judge dismissed arguments by Sowore’s counsel, Marshall Abubakar, that the response required a formal application for recusal, ruling that no such directive was contained in the letter.
Justice Umar subsequently ordered Sowore to enter his defence and directed that proceedings continue on a day-to-day basis in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
The court also rejected a request by the defence to adjourn the case until after the court’s vacation, with the prosecution insisting there was no legal basis for further delay.
The matter was adjourned until June 5, when Sowore is expected to formally begin his defence.