A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled October 27, 2025, for the arraignment of politician and online publisher Omoyele Sowore over alleged false statements targeting President Bola Tinubu.

The case, filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, also names social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) as co-defendants.

The charges accuse Sowore of posting statements on his official X and Facebook accounts claiming that President Tinubu had asserted there was no corruption under his administration, a message the DSS alleges was false and intended to incite public disorder. The counts cite violations of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024 and the Criminal Code Act.

When the matter came up on Tuesday, Sowore’s counsel, Marshal Abubakar, objected to reading of the charges, arguing that the court’s bailiff had not served the defendant and that X was not represented in court. Meta Corp, however, was represented by Tayo Oyetibo, SAN. Justice Mohammed Umar directed that Sowore be properly served in court and fixed October 27 for trial commencement. “All parties agreed to the service of the defendant in court,” the judge said before adjourning.

The charges allege that on August 25 and 26, 2025, Sowore knowingly published defamatory material on X and Facebook, tagging the president as “a criminal” and stating that he claimed “there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria.” The DSS claims these posts were intended to create a breakdown of law and order, particularly among citizens holding divergent views about the president. The counts reference Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes Amendment Act 2024 and Sections 59 and 375 of the Criminal Code Act.

Sowore, who ran for president in 2019 and 2023 on the platform of the African Action Congress (AAC), is accused of leveraging his social media platforms to disseminate information deemed false and damaging to the reputation of the president. The arraignment, now set for late October, will formally bring the charges before the court and commence trial proceedings.

The DSS filed the suit as part of what it described as enforcement of provisions against cyber-enabled dissemination of false information, while the defence is expected to raise issues relating to service of the charges and the participation of the social media platforms named as co-defendants.