By Sofiat Adenekan-Abdul
The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed June 15, 2026, to rule on an application filed by African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, seeking the recusal of Justice Mohammed Umar from his ongoing trial.
Justice Umar adjourned the matter after hearing arguments from both the defendant and the prosecution on the application.
At the hearing, Sowore informed the court that he would continue to represent himself pending the engagement of a new lawyer or the reconstitution of his legal team.
He alleged that some of his lawyers were unwilling to continue appearing before the court due to what he described as humiliation suffered during previous proceedings.
Sowore subsequently moved two applications before the court.
The first application sought an order directing Justice Umar to withdraw from the case over allegations of bias, while the second requested that the matter be reassigned to another judge by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.
Prosecution Opposes Applications
Counsel to the prosecution, Kehinde Akinlolu, opposed the applications and urged the court to dismiss them.
He argued that the requests amounted to an abuse of court process and were aimed at delaying the proceedings.
According to Akinlolu, the court is bound by its records, including a letter from the Chief Judge directing that the case should continue before Justice Umar.
The prosecution further asked the court to reject all the applications and allow the trial to proceed.
Court Reserves Ruling
In a brief remark, Justice Umar stated that he would first review the applications and submissions made by the parties before delivering his decision.
The court subsequently adjourned the case until June 15, 2026, for ruling on the applications.
DSS Prosecution Against Sowore
Sowore is currently being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations that he made false claims against President Bola Tinubu on his X and Facebook accounts.
According to the charges, Sowore allegedly described the President as “a criminal” in posts published on the social media platforms.
