Alleged Cyberbullying: Sowore Seeks Adjournment, Trial Resumes November 3

The trial of the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, over alleged cyberbullying was stalled on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja following his absence and a letter seeking an adjournment.

At the mention of the case, prosecuting counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), noted that the defendant was absent from court.

Defence counsel, T. O. Etonyeaku, who said she was holding the brief of Sowore’s lead counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), told the court that the politician was in Ekiti State for his presidential campaigns.

Etonyeaku subsequently prayed the court for a stand-down to enable another senior lawyer, who was earlier in court before the commencement of proceedings, to arrive and conduct the defence.

However, the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, drew the attention of both lawyers to a letter written to the court by Sowore and asked Kehinde whether he was aware of it.

The prosecution counsel denied being copied on the letter, arguing that it was wrong for an accused person represented by a lawyer to bypass counsel and write directly to the court without copying the other party.

He added that since there was no evidence that Sowore had discontinued the services of his lawyer, Olumide-Fusika, he ought not to have written personally to the court.

Kehinde, however, conceded to an adjournment in the interest of justice.

The prosecuting lawyer also noted that the defence was yet to respond to the written address he filed, as ordered by the court, on the issue of whether he could be subpoenaed to testify as a defence witness.

Justice Umar subsequently adjourned the case until November 3 for the adoption of addresses and continuation of the defence.

Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over posts he published on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook in August 2025, in which he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” and accused him of lying about the level of corruption in the country.