The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), at the Kuje Correctional Centre following ongoing legal proceedings relating to his bail status.
Justice Mohammed Umar delivered the ruling on Monday, directing that Sowore remain in custody until the court hears and determines his application challenging the earlier revocation of his bail and the issuance of a bench warrant against him. The judge stated that the decision was necessary to ensure the orderly continuation of the trial process.
The court also dismissed an application filed by Sowore requesting the judge’s recusal over alleged bias, describing the request as unsubstantiated at this stage of proceedings.
According to the court, the matter has been adjourned until June 24 for hearing of the motion seeking a stay of execution on the bail revocation order. The application was filed by Sowore’s new counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika.
The legal dispute stems from a June 16 ruling in which Justice Umar revoked Sowore’s bail after he allegedly failed to appear in court for his ongoing trial. Following that development, the court also issued a bench warrant for his arrest after an oral application by prosecution counsel representing the Department of State Services (DSS), Akinkolu Kehinde, SAN.
The DSS is prosecuting Sowore over allegations of making false and defamatory statements against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including a social media post on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook in which he allegedly referred to the president as “a criminal.”
The case continues to attract significant public and political attention, given Sowore’s profile as a long-time activist and politician, as well as the broader debates it raises about free speech, political expression, and the limits of criticism of public office holders in Nigeria’s democratic space.
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