Abuja, June 5, 2026 — Human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has informed the Federal High Court in Abuja of his decision to represent himself in an ongoing cyberbullying case while he works to assemble a new legal team.
Sowore made the declaration before Justice Mohammed Umar on Friday when the matter came up for the commencement of his defence.
The court had previously scheduled the day for the defendant to open his case after rejecting an oral request by his counsel, Marshall Abubakar, for an extended adjournment and directing that proceedings continue on a day-to-day basis.
Sowore is facing prosecution by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations that he made defamatory statements about President Bola Tinubu on his social media platforms, including X and Facebook.
At Friday’s proceedings, counsel for the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), was present in court, while Sowore’s lawyer was absent.
When asked by the judge about his counsel’s whereabouts, Sowore stated that his lawyers were unwilling to continue appearing before the court due to what they considered humiliating treatment during earlier proceedings.
According to him, the legal team had communicated their decision to withdraw, prompting him to temporarily assume responsibility for his defence until new lawyers could be engaged.
He maintained that the Constitution guarantees every defendant the right to choose legal representation in criminal proceedings.
Sowore also informed the court that he had filed two applications, including a motion seeking the judge’s withdrawal from the case. He noted that the application had already been served on the prosecution.
With no objection from the prosecution, he proceeded to move the application, asking Justice Umar to recuse himself on grounds of alleged bias and humiliation. He relied on provisions of Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution in support of his request.
Responding, Kehinde argued that the application was procedurally flawed, claiming that the copy served on him lacked the signature of the lawyer who prepared it.
Justice Umar, however, stated that the version contained in the court’s records bore the signature of Marshall Abubakar, adding that the court would not entertain technical objections intended to delay proceedings.
The DSS counsel further described the recusal application as an abuse of court process designed to frustrate the trial. He reminded the court that a directive from the Chief Judge had earlier instructed that the matter should proceed and argued that the defence was already under an order to commence its case.
After listening to both parties, Justice Umar said he would need time to study the application before delivering a ruling.
Although Sowore requested additional time to secure new legal representation and cited the upcoming Democracy Day celebrations, the judge noted that an existing order required daily hearing of the matter.
The defendant appealed for a brief extension, stressing that he had consistently attended court sessions since the case began and only needed sufficient time to engage new counsel.
The court subsequently adjourned proceedings until June 15, when it is expected to rule on the recusal application and continue with the defence stage of the trial.