Sowore para for court, accuse judge of bias afta e reject im 'no case submission'

Beta drama hapun for di federal high court, Abuja, dis Friday, during di hearing of di mata between di Department of State Services (DSS) and rights activist Omoyele Sowore.

Di case na di allegation of cyber bullying wey di DSS claim say Sowore commit against President Bola Tinubu wen e write for social media and refer to di president as criminal.

Friday hearing na for di court to rule on di no-case submission wey Sowore file afta di DSS bin don close dia case.

Delivering im ruling, di trial judge Mohammed Garba Umar dismiss di no-case submission as e hold say di prosecution counsel don successfully link Sowore wit di alleged offences and dem establish prima facie case against am.

Di judge therefore ask Sowore to enter im defense against di accuse against am.

As Justice Umar finish delivering im ruling, Sowore ask for permission to address di court by imsef, and although di prosecuting counsel object to di oral application, di trial judge still permit Sowore to tok.

Sowore den tell di judge say e dey bias against am and im no believe say e go get justice for dis court.

Di activist tok say di judge bin don humiliate im lawyer - Abubakar Marshal - and ask am to kneel down for open court. E also accuse di judge say e dey play into di hands of di federal govment to give dem somtin to take disqualify am from contesting for di 2027 presidential election.

Sowore ask di judge to wash im hand comot from di mata and make e send back di case file to di Chief Judge of di Federal High Court make e reassign am give anoda judge.

Also, Abubakar Marshal wey be Sowore lawyer still tok di same tin, accusing di trial judge of partiality and conniving wit di govment of di day.

However, di DSS lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) who bin ask di court make e no grant Sowore audience, tell di judge say make e no mind Sowore and im lawyer and make e no recuse imsef from di mata.

Kehinde argue say even if di defendant and im lawyer wan tok sometin like dat, e no suppose be by oral application; dem suppose come by. way of written application.

Afta di arguments, Justice Umar order Sowore and im counsel to file formal application seeking for im to remove imsef from di mata, and make dem put down dia reason.

Di judge den adjourn di mata until May 19 for Sowore to open im defense and for im to file di application for recusal.

Brief background

Di DSS file dis mata against Omoyele Sowore for September 2025, as dem accuse am say e post something for im social media pages wia e refer to di president of di Federal Republic of Nigeria as a "criminal".

Dem also join both Facebook and X for di charges, bicos dem allege say dem bin write to di social media platforms telling dem to take down di posts wey Sowore write, but dem refuse.

Sowore also dey accuse Tinubu of lying wen e tok say corruption no longer dey exist for Nigeria, but di DSS say Sowore know say im claims no be true and e still write di post to cause public unrest and damage di President reputation.

Di offence violate sections 24 (1)(b) of di Cybercrimes Act as well as section 375 of di Criminal Code for Defamation.

Sowore plead not guilty to di charges.

Omoyele Sowore na human rights activist plus politician and e no be stranger to court cases for di hand of di Nigeria govment.

E run for di office of di president for both di 2019 and 2023 presidential elections, for di platform of di African Action Congress (AAC), wey be. political party wey e form.

Im na also di leader of di 'Take it back' movement, a pressure group wey say dia aim na to make Nigerians realise say di real power belong to dem, no be politicians.