Proceedings in the alleged cyberbullying case against African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore were stalled on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja after the defendant failed to appear in court and sought an adjournment.
At the mention of the case, prosecuting counsel Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) informed the court that Sowore was absent.
Defence counsel T.O. Etonyeaku, who appeared on behalf of lead counsel Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), told the court that the politician was in Ekiti State for his presidential campaign activities.
She initially requested a stand-down to allow another senior lawyer, who had been in court before proceedings began, to arrive and take over the defence.
However, presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, drew the attention of counsel to a letter personally written to the court by Sowore and asked the prosecution whether it had been notified.
Kehinde said he had not been copied on the correspondence. He argued that it was improper for a defendant represented by counsel to communicate directly with the court without notifying the opposing party, particularly when there was no indication that Sowore had ended his relationship with his lawyer.
The prosecution nevertheless agreed to an adjournment in the interest of justice.
Kehinde also informed the court that the defence had yet to respond to his written address, which was filed following the court’s directive on whether he could be subpoenaed to testify as a defence witness.
Justice Umar subsequently adjourned the matter until November 3 for the adoption of written addresses and continuation of the defence.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services over social media posts published on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook in August 2025. In the posts, he reportedly described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” and accused him of lying about the level of corruption in the country.
The allegations are before the court for determination.
Deborah Adeyefa
