Omoyele Sowore, the Sahara Reporters publisher and activist, refused to enter his defence on Friday in his ongoing cyberbullying trial. He is accused of falsely labeling President Bola Tinubu as a criminal. Since the court dismissed his no-case submission on May 8, there has been a back-and-forth regarding the defence phase. Mr. Sowore, a two-time presidential candidate planning to run again in 2027 against Mr. Tinubu, insisted that the trial judge, Mohammed Umar, withdraw from the case.
On Friday, the prosecution lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), informed the court that the hearing was set for the defence to open its case. However, no lawyer appeared for Mr. Sowore. Mr. Sowore told the judge that his legal team expressed fear of appearing before him due to past humiliation, so he would represent himself. He stated, My lawyers said they are afraid to appear before you because of the humiliation they suffer before this court. I shall be representing myself, pending when I will constitute new lawyers. He maintained that choosing lawyers is his constitutional right.
Sowore Applies for Judge's Withdrawal
Mr. Sowore informed the court of an application filed on Thursday, June 4, and served on the prosecution Friday morning. He intended to move the application for the judge's recusal under Section 36 (1), (5), and (6) of the Nigerian Constitution. Mr. Kehinde had no objection to hearing the application. Moving the motion, Mr. Sowore requested that the case file be returned to the Chief Judge for reassignment. He also asked for time to prepare since he now represents himself.
Reacting, Mr. Kehinde raised concerns about the application's signing, noting no name attached to the motion paper. The judge, after checking, presumed it was signed by the first defence counsel, Marshal Abubakar. He cautioned the prosecution against raising technical issues, emphasizing fair hearing. Mr. Umar added that technical moves would not be condoned but allowed time for a response if needed. Mr. Kehinde then applied orally to respond and file objections later, which the court granted.
In response, Mr. Kehinde described the application as an abuse of process, meant to annoy the court. He recalled a letter from the Chief Judge dated May 22, 2026, directing the matter to proceed, with a subsisting order that defence must commence or be foreclosed. He urged the court to refuse the application and dismiss the defendant's tantrums.
Mr. Sowore argued that he needed time to prepare as he now represents himself. The judge said he would review the bulky application before deciding on recusal and adjourned to Monday, June 8. When Mr. Sowore insisted on more time, the judge reminded him of the order for daily hearing. Mr. Sowore pressed further, requesting at least one week after Democracy Day on June 12 to engage a lawyer. Mr. Kehinde insisted the court had already ordered, but the judge said he wanted to give the defendant the benefit of doubt. The judge adjourned to June 15 for ruling on the application, noting that if it succeeds, he would step aside.
Back-and-Forth on Defence
Earlier on Thursday, the judge rejected a request by Mr. Sowore's lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, to adjourn until after the court's vacation. He ordered daily hearing from Friday and directed the defendant to open his defence. This followed submissions by Mr. Kehinde that the matter was fixed for June 4 to receive the Chief Judge's response to Mr. Sowore's letter seeking reassignment. Mr. Kehinde said the Chief Judge declined the request and directed the court to continue hearing the case.
Mr. Abubakar argued that the Chief Judge's response suggested filing a formal application. Mr. Kehinde disagreed, stating the letter did not ask for an application. Judge Umar read the letter in open court and held that the defence's interpretation was wrong. He noted that the case had reached the stage for defence and directed Mr. Sowore to proceed. Mr. Abubakar again sought adjournment until after vacation for his client to participate in the next presidential election. Mr. Kehinde opposed, stating the trial had no link to political activities and the court must enforce daily hearing. He warned that defence must proceed or risk foreclosure. Judge Umar adjourned to Friday, June 5, for the defendant to open his defence.
Backstory
Mr. Sowore had refused to enter his defence on May 20 after the court dismissed his no-case submission. His lawyer, Mr. Abubakar, told the court that Mr. Sowore personally wrote to the Chief Judge, John Tsoho, seeking reassignment. This followed the court's ruling that a prima facie case had been established. The defence argued no sufficient case was made out. After the ruling, Mr. Sowore orally applied for the judge's recusal on grounds of alleged bias. The court directed a formal application.
The case also drew attention after an incident on March 16, when the judge ordered Mr. Abubakar to step out of the bar and kneel during proceedings. Other lawyers later intervened, and the Nigerian Bar Association condemned the incident.
Charges
Mr. Sowore was initially charged alongside X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook parent companies on December 5, 2025. He was accused of falsely calling President Tinubu a criminal via his X and Facebook accounts. He rebuffed the SSS demand to delete the posts. Subsequent amendments dropped the tech companies, leaving Mr. Sowore as the sole defendant. The number of counts was reduced from five to two. He was rearraigned in January and pleaded not guilty. The prosecution closed its case after calling one SSS witness. Mr. Sowore filed a no-case submission, which the court dismissed, leading to the order for him to enter his defence.
