Justice Mohammed Umar of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has issued a final warning to the Presidential candidate of the African Alliance Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore to resume his defence in the two-count charge preferred against him by the federal government for allegedly calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal” or be foreclosed.
The Judge issued the warning on Thursday, following the absence of Sowore’s lead counsel Mr Olumide Fusika, SAN and Reuben Adakole at the proceedings.
At the July 13 proceedings, Sowore through Adakole had sought from the Court a long adjournment till after the vacation, a request that was turned down by the Judge.
Adakole had applied that the defence of his client in the charge be shifted till after the two months annual vacation of the Court.
The activist who is put on trial for allegedly calling President Tinubu a criminal on his Facebook page and X handle had predicated his long adjournment request on the ground that his choice lawyer, Olumide Fusika, SAN was out of the country to attend to family matters.
His request was however opposed by counsel to the federal government, Mr Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN who drew the attention of the Court to ten previous adjournments the trial suffered at the instance of Sowore.
The senior lawyer had told Justice Umar that the latest request for long adjournment was a ploy and antics to further frustrate the criminal trial.
Kehinde also had drawn the attention of the Court to day-to- day accelerated trial granted by the Court in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice System (ACJA) 2015.
In a brief ruling, Justice Umar had turned down the long adjournment application based on the previous order of the Court for day to day trial and subsequently ordered Sowore to be in Court on July 16 for continuation of his defense in the charge.
However, at Thursday’s proceedings, Sowore was present in court but none of his two lawyers was in court and there was no explanation.
Worried by the development, Justice Mohammed Umar fixed July 22 for Sowore to unfailingly resume his defence or get it foreclosed as requested by the federal government lawyer, Mr Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN.
The defendant had opened his defence with his first witness, Barrister Deji Adeyanju who concluded the evidence and cross examination on July 13, 2026.
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