Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, on Friday indicated his readiness to represent himself in court pending reconstitution of a new legal team in the ongoing alleged cyberbullying charge.

Mr Sowore made this known to Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, shortly after the case was called for his defence to open.

Justice Umar had, on Thursday, fixed today for the defendant to open his defence.

The judge, who declined to grant an oral application by Mr Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, for a long adjournment, ordered that the trial shall be conducted day-to-day.

Mr Sowore is being prosecuted by the State Security Service (SSS) for allegedly making false claims against the person of President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as “a criminal” in a post he made on his “X” and Facebook accounts.

Upon the resumption of hearing on Friday, only the SSS lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, was in court when the case was called.

Mr Abubakar, Mr Sowore’s counsel, was conspicuously absent.

When the defendant, who was already in the dock, was asked by the judge about the whereabouts of his lawyer, he said that, following the judge’s ruling the previous day that the trial would proceed on a day-to-day basis, his lawyers were afraid to appear before Justice Umar.

“Our lawyers indicated to me they are afraid before you and will not appear any longer because of the humiliation they suffered before this court.

“And pending the time I am able to reconstitute a new legal team, I shall be representing myself before your lordship,” he said.

Mr Sowore told the court that it was his constitutional right to choose lawyers to represent him in any form of trial in Nigeria.

The defendant then informed the court that he had two applications which he had filed, and one of them had already been served on the prosecution.

“A motion on notice filed yesterday, June 4, 2026, and served on the prosecutor earlier this morning.

“The application is motion on notice for a recusal,” he said.

Mr Sowore, therefore, sought permission to move the application for recusal, and the SSS lawyer did not object.

Moving his motion, the defendant prayed the court for an order directing the judge to recuse himself or withdraw from the case in view of bias and humiliation.

He cited Section 36(1)(5) (6) of the 1999 Constitution to back his submission and urged the court to grant his relief.

Mr Kehinde, who urged the court to also grant him leave to respond on points of law, argued that Sowore’s application was fundamentally defective.

“This application is fundamentally incompetent as there is no name of the counsel that prepared the motion and attached to the motion paper,” he said.

But the judge said a lawyer signed the copy of the application in the court file.

“From my record here, the person that signed it is Marshall Abubakar,” Justice Umar said.

“Mine was not signed, my lord,” Mr Kehinde responded.

“We presume it is Marshall Abubakar that signed it.

“I will not condone any technical move from you,” the judge told Mr Kehinde.

Replying to Mr Sowore’s motion, the SSS lawyer described the application as “an abuse of court process meant to annoy and irritate this court.”

According to him, the court is bound by the records of this honourable court, in which a letter written by the chief judge dated May 22 directed that this matter should proceed.

He said the letter was copied to all the parties.

“Moreover, there is a subsisting order of this court that defence must commence today and the option is for the defence to be foreclosed if the defendant is not ready,” he said.

The senior lawyer prayed the court to refuse the application.

Justice Umar said to do justice to the application, he would have to go through the defendant’s process.

“I will adjourn this case to Monday for ruling,” he said.

But Mr Sowore begged for more time to enable him to get lawyers, adding that this was also “in view of the Democracy Day celebration.”

The judge reminded him that an order had already been made for a day-to-day hearing of the case.

“My lord, take judicial notice that I have attended this case from day one.

“I am just asking for indulgence for at least a week to come,” he prayed.

Justice Umar consequently adjourned the matter until June 15 for ruling and for defence.

(NAN)