Alleged Cyberbullying: Sowore Seeks Adjournment, Trial Resumes November 3

The trial of presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, accused of cyberbullying, was halted on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja due to his absence and a request for an adjournment. When the case was mentioned, the prosecution lawyer noted that the defendant was absent. The defence lawyer, holding the brief for Sowore’s lead counsel, said Sowore was in Ekiti State campaigning for the presidency.

The defence subsequently asked for a postponement to allow another senior lawyer to join and handle the defence. The presiding judge, however, pointed out a letter from Sowore and asked the prosecution counsel whether he was aware of it. The prosecution denied being copied on the letter and argued that it was improper for an accused person represented by a lawyer to bypass their lawyer and write directly to the court without informing the other party.

The prosecution further stated that since there was no proof that Sowore had severed ties with his lawyer, Olumide-Fusika, he shouldn't have written to the court personally. Kehinde, on the other hand, agreed to the adjournment for the sake of justice. The prosecutor also mentioned that the defence had not responded to a written address filed, as ordered by the court, regarding whether he could be called as a defence witness.

The court adjourned the case until November 3 for the adoption of addresses and the continuation of the defence. Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over posts he made on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook in August 2025, where he called President Bola Tinubu a "criminal" and accused him of lying about the extent of corruption in the country.