The scheduled arraignment on Wednesday of Omoyele Sowore the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and X platforms before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged defamation by Department of the State Service (DSS) didn’t hold.
When the matter was called on Wednesday, Counsel to the Department of the State Service (DSS), Akinlolu Kehinde, (SAN) told Justice Mohammed Umar that Sowore has been served with hearing notice and the charge but he choose not to come to the court.
The counsel prayed the court to issue a bench warrant against Sowore for his absence in court without justification, having been served with the charges and hearing notice.
The senior lawyer said that the action of Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters media, staying away from court despite being served with the charges is an affront to the sanctity of the court and must be treated with punishment such behavior deserved
Kehinde said that Sowore’s was disturbing and unacceptable because no lawyer appeared for him as required by law.
He urged the Judge to invoke his inherent power to issue bench warrant for the arrest of the defendant by security agents where ever he may be.
In a brief ruling , Justice Umar noted that the prayer for an order for bench warrant will not subsist, on the submission of the 2nd defendant, X Corporation that they have not been served with the charge sheet even though they received hearing notice.
The trial Judge then directed that all parties should be duly served and then adjourned the case to December 2, l2025 for arraignment to take place.
Meanwhile, counsel to X Corporation, Christabel Ndiokwelo told the court that the complainant had yet to serve the formal charges on their client, noting that only a hearing notice had been served earlier.
Earlier in the proceeding, the DSS lawyer had drawn the attention of the court to a statement by Deji Adeyanju, calling for an adjournment in the case, hence his request for a bench warrant, noting that Sowore is only taking the court for granted.
META (Facebook) INC, through their lawyer, Tayo Oyetibo of it is( SAN), aligned himself with the prosecution’s request for a bench warrant against Sowore, stating that the 1st defendant had accused them of taking sides with the prosecution.
Oyetibo noted that the letter for adjournment is a form of distraction as Sowore knows what he is doing.
After taking arguments, Justice Umar fixed December 2 for arraignment of all the defendants and also directed that hearing notice must be served on them.