Get Guardian on GoogleThe trial of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, over his description of President Bola Tinubu as a criminal, was stalled yesterday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, following the absence of the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar.
The case, scheduled for hearing, could not proceed after the court registrar informed parties that the judge was indisposed and the court would not sit.
The development came amid a fresh legal challenge by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), who has asked the court to set aside a subpoena compelling him to produce President Tinubu’s electoral records.
Amupitan, who was expected to appear as a defence witness alongside former Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, was also absent from the proceedings.
In a motion dated November 10, 2026, the INEC chairman challenged the subpoena issued on October 26, arguing that the electoral forms requested by Sowore were unknown to him in the form described and were not in his custody.
Amupitan further argued that he was not personally served with the subpoena, although it was delivered to INEC headquarters on November 6.
Sowore is seeking Tinubu’s Form CF001 and affidavit of loss of certificates submitted to INEC during his 1999 Lagos State governorship election, as well as the Form CF001 submitted for the 2023 presidential election.
Meanwhile, a journalist with Leadership newspaper, Olakunle Olasanmi, has alleged that supporters of Sowore damaged his Toyota Venza during a confrontation outside the Federal High Court yesterday.
According to accounts by journalists who witnessed the incident, the supporters allegedly surrounded Olasanmi’s vehicle as he attempted to access an extension of the court’s car park after failing to secure a parking space within the premises.
The vehicle’s windscreen was allegedly shattered during the confrontation.
A former Chairman of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents (NAJUC), Kayode Lawal, confirmed the incident to colleagues, saying Sowore’s supporters had gone on a rampage and damaged the windscreen of Olasanmi’s vehicle.
Olasanmi reportedly approached Sowore after he emerged from the courtroom, and the activist initially promised to take responsibility for the damage. However, the journalist’s colleagues said he later reneged on the promise.
Another journalist, Celestina Iria, also recounted an earlier confrontation with Sowore over his comments about TVC cameramen covering the proceedings.
She alleged that Sowore had accused the station’s cameraman of having prior knowledge of a court ruling when he attempted to record proceedings and subsequently shared video clips of the incident on his social media account.
Iria also cited a separate incident on Monday in which Sowore allegedly accused the cameraman of pretending to record him despite the camera lens being closed.
The case was adjourned until November 17, 2026, for continuation of trial.
