Tinubu vs Sowore: Court Announces Fresh Development
- The Federal High Court in Abuja has rescheduled the hearing of the DSS suit against Omoyele Sowore, a journalist and former presidential candidate
- According to the court, the case was adjourned because the judge was not available for the hearing
- Sowore is currently facing trial over his claim against President Bola Tinubu on his social media page, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter)
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has announced that the hearing of the suit against the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, for alleged defamation of President Bola Tinubu, will now be heard on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.
This came as the court could not proceed with the matter over the absence of Justice Mohammed Umar.
Source: Twitter
Why judge was unavailable for Sowore's trial
Justice Umar, who was the trial judge in the suit, was reportedly having a sitting in another division of the court.
Due to this, the court adjusted the arraignment date of Sowore, Meta (Facebook) Inc. and X Incorp. (Formerly Twitter), who were listed first and third respondents in the suit.
Vanguard reported that on Tuesday, September 30, the court fixed Monday, October 27, 2025, to enable Sowore adequately prepare for his defence. The former presidential candidate is facing a five-count charge. The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, was dated September 16, 2025.
The Department of State Services (DSS), on behalf of the federal government, had sued Sowore, Meta (Facebook) Inc. and X Incorp. (Formerly Twitter), listed as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively. The publisher of the Sahara Reporters was accused of making a false claim against President Tinubu and referred to him as "a criminal" on his Facebook and X accounts.
DSS asks Sowore to bring down post
This came days after the secret police made an earlier request over an alleged defamatory post Sowore shared on his Facebook and X pages to be taken down. In the charge, the federal government accused Sowore of acting against the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.
Sowore has consistently been in the news for his activism and criticisms of the Nigerian government through different protests and agitations.
The recent of such activity was his agitation for the release of the embattled leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who is facing terrorism charges in court.
He was arrested and detained over the protest for disobeying a court order. However, he was soon granted bail by the court, while his trial continues.
Meanwhile, an analyst, Omotayo Yusuf, posited that the consistent protest of Sowore cannot just by ignored by the state, but maintained that the former presidential candidate is acting within his constitutional right. He said:
"Sowore's consistent arrest is a case of an activist to presidential aspirant who is judiciously using his constitutional rights of protest, and a state that cannot ignore his actions. The latest one is a protest against the arrest or continued detention of the leader of the proscribed South East group, although the case is still in court. Justice, for the way he has interpreted it, is that Kanu should not even be in detention at all."
Source: Facebook
Joe Igbokwe speaks on Sowore vs Tinubu
Legit.ng earlier reported that an APC chieftain, Joe Igbokwe, called on Omoyele Sowore to withdraw his statement against President Bola Tinubu.
Igbokwe said he has talked to Sowore as a friend, while recalling how he met with the activist through a mutual friend called Peter Claver.
According to the APC chieftain, the least that Sowore could do was to retract his statement and apologise to President Tinubu.
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Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
