Human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, on Friday informed the Federal High Court in Abuja of his decision to represent himself in an ongoing cyberbullying case after his legal team reportedly withdrew from the proceedings.
Sowore made the declaration before Justice Mohammed Umar when the matter came up for the commencement of his defence.
The activist is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations that he made false and defamatory statements against President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as “a criminal” in posts published on his X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts.
At the resumed hearing, Sowore’s lead counsel, Marshall Abubakar, was absent from court, while counsel to the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), was present.
When asked by the court about the absence of his lawyer, Sowore alleged that his legal team had decided to withdraw from the case following the court’s decision to conduct proceedings on a day-to-day basis.
According to him, his lawyers felt humiliated by events that transpired during the previous sitting and were unwilling to continue appearing before the court.
“Our lawyers indicated to me they are afraid before you and will not appear any longer because of the humiliation they suffered before this court.
Pending the time I am able to reconstitute a new legal team, I shall be representing myself before your lordship,” Sowore said.
He stressed that the Constitution guarantees his right to choose legal representation and informed the court that he had filed two applications, including a motion seeking the judge’s recusal from the matter.
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Sowore subsequently moved the application, urging Justice Umar to withdraw from the case on grounds of alleged bias and humiliation.
He cited relevant provisions of Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the proceedings had raised concerns about fairness.
Counsel to the DSS opposed the application, describing it as incompetent and an abuse of court process. Kehinde argued that the motion was defective and intended to frustrate proceedings.
He also reminded the court that there was already a subsisting order directing the defence to open its case and urged the court to proceed accordingly.
However, Justice Umar noted that to fairly determine the application, he would need to review the processes filed by the defendant.
The judge subsequently adjourned the matter for ruling on the recusal application.
Although Sowore appealed for additional time to secure new legal representation, citing the upcoming Democracy Day celebrations, the court maintained its position on expeditious hearing of the matter.
Justice Umar thereafter adjourned the case until June 15, 2026, for ruling on the recusal application and for the continuation of the defence.