Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, has declined to present his defence in his ongoing cyberbullying trial, where he is accused of referring to President Bola Tinubu as a criminal. During Tuesday's hearing at the Federal High Court in Abuja, his lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, informed Judge Mohammed Umar that Sowore had personally petitioned the Chief Judge, John Tsoho, requesting the case be reassigned to another judge.
Background of the Case
The State Security Service (SSS) is prosecuting Sowore on cybercrime charges for posts on his X and Facebook accounts where he called President Tinubu a criminal. On May 8, Judge Umar dismissed Sowore's no-case submission, ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case requiring him to enter a defence.
Allegations of Bias
Following that ruling, Sowore and his lawyer orally requested the judge's recusal, citing bias. The prosecution objected, arguing that such a request should be formal. The judge then ordered the defence to file a formal application.
At Tuesday's hearing, Abubakar stated that his client had submitted letters and applications to the Chief Judge, demanding reassignment. These documents included affidavits and exhibits detailing reasons for the request. Prosecution lawyer Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), confirmed receiving the letters on May 19 but argued that the defence had not followed the court's directive to file a formal recusal application. He urged the court not to let the defence control the pace of proceedings and noted that the case had reached the stage for the defendant to present his defence.
In response, Abubakar argued that the defence had acted appropriately and urged the court not to be railroaded into steps alien to justice. He requested an adjournment pending the Chief Judge's decision.
Court Ruling and Adjournment
Judge Umar ordered the prosecution to file a response to the defence's letters and adjourned the case until June 4 to await the outcome of the petition to the Chief Judge.
Previous Incident
The bias allegation stems from an incident on March 16, when Sowore's lawyer raised his voice during submissions, prompting the judge to order him to kneel. Fellow lawyers intervened, and the judge later forgave him. The Nigerian Bar Association condemned the judge's conduct.
Sowore was originally charged alongside X and Facebook parent companies in December 2025, but those companies were later dropped. The charges were reduced from five to two counts, and Sowore pleaded not guilty in January.
