The trial of the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore, earlier than a Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly cyberbullying President Bola Tinubu was stalled on Thursday owing to his absence and a letter he wrote praying for an adjournment.
At the point out of the case, prosecuting lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, famous that the defendant was absent in courtroom.
Defence lawyer, T. O. Etonyeaku, who mentioned she was holding the temporary of Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, advised the courtroom that Sowore travelled to Ekiti State for his presidential marketing campaign actions.
Etonyeaku prayed the courtroom for a stand-down to allow one other senior lawyer, who was earlier in courtroom earlier than the graduation of proceedings, to reach and conduct the case of the defence.
The decide, Justice Mohammed Umar, drew each legal professionals’ consideration to a letter written to the courtroom personally by the defendant and requested Kehinde if he was conscious of the letter.
Kehinde denied being copied with the letter and argued that it was unsuitable for an accused particular person, who was being represented by a lawyer, to bypass the lawyer and write on to the courtroom and likewise fail to repeat the opposite get together.
He added that since there isn’t a proof that Sowore has discontinued the service of his lawyer, Olumide-Fusika, he ought to not have written personally to the courtroom.
Kehinde, nonetheless, conceded to an adjournment within the curiosity of justice.
The prosecuting lawyer famous that the defence was but to answer the written handle he filed, as ordered by the courtroom, on the difficulty of whether or not or not he may very well be subpoenaed to testify as a defence witness.
Justice Umar adjourned until November 3 for adoption and continuation of defence.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services, DSS, over posts he made on X and Facebook, describing President Tinubu as a “criminal” and accusing him of mendacity in regards to the degree of corruption within the nation.
