Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed ‘no-case’ submission made by an activist, Omoyele Sowore in the criminal charge filed against him for allegedly cyberbullying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Department of the State Services, DSS, had brought a two- Count charge against Sowore after the defendants allegedly published an article in his X social media platform calling President Tinubu a ‘criminal.’
The prosecution had closed it case and the defendant made a ‘no case’ submission and prayed the court to discharge him of the charge.
Trial Court Judge , Justice Umar ruling on Sowore application found that DSS
had successfully linked Sowore with the alleged offences and prima facie case established against him to warrant his defense of the charges against him.
Consequently,the judge dismissed the ‘No Case Submission” and ordered defendant to enter his defense in the charges brought against him.
Shortly after the ruling, Sowore openly accused the Judge of bias adding that he would not get justice in the court.
He subsequently asked the Judge to hands off from his trial and allow another Judge to conduct the trial.
He alleged that the judge was playing along with the federal government to convict him at all costs so as to prevent him from contesting the 2027 general election.
Sowore’s position was echoed by his lawyer, Marshall Abubakar who pointedly told the Judge of favouring the federal government in the conduct of the trial.
Abubakar asked the Judge to return the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for re-assignment to another judge.
The DSS lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde , SAN, who had earlier asked the Judge not to grant audience to Sowore but his counsel on record, prayed that the recusal application be disconternanced.
In a brief ruling, Justice Umar ordered Sowore to file formal application for recusal request and state his grievances,
The judge subsequently fixed May 19 for the defendant to open his defense and as his application for recusal.