Federal High Court Rejects Sowore's Bid to Unseat Justice Umar in ‘Tinubu Criminal’ Trial

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, threw out an application filed by Omoyele Sowore. The activist had sought to have the judge overseeing his trial recused due to comments he made previously, labelling President Bola Tinubu a "criminal." Sowore, a prominent human rights advocate and the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential flagbearer, faces charges from the Department of State Services (DSS) concerning these public declarations. He has vehemently denied all accusations.

In early June, Sowore reignited his demand for Justice Mohammed Umar to withdraw from the proceedings. He asserted that he was compelled to represent himself because his legal counsel refused to continue appearing before the judge, alleging consistent animosity and prejudiced handling of the case. Following Monday's court sitting, Sowore took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm he had personally submitted another recusal application. He wrote: "Soon after today's court hearing at the Federal High Court, where I represented myself because my lawyers had decided they could no longer appear before Justice M.G. Umar due to what they described as persistent maltreatment, I personally moved a motion asking the judge, once again, to recuse himself from the case."

Subsequently, in a video circulated after the court session, Sowore disclosed that efforts to have the matter transferred to another judge had also proven unsuccessful. He stated, "We had complained to the court that lawyers were mistreated by the judge and we applied to the CJ, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to transfer the case file, but they refused." Sowore further explained that his legal team had withdrawn their services due to apprehension. He quoted, "The lawyer became very afraid that he can no longer represent me in this case. Some of them came earlier but they had to leave. So I had to represent myself."

The activist cautioned that should Justice Umar decline to recuse himself, the trial would proceed within an environment he characterized as increasingly tense. "If he decides not to excuse himself, he will continue the trial. It's going to be a very interesting trial," Sowore remarked. This particular case has, in the past, been characterized by significant tension within the courtroom, with intense disagreements between legal counsel and the judge frequently resulting in adjournments due to procedural arguments and concerns over defence rights.

Outside the courthouse on Monday, protests unfolded as a substantial gathering of Sowore's supporters assembled. They were demanding the reinstatement of his bail, which Justice Umar had nullified on June 16, 2026, citing Sowore's absence from court. It was noted that Sowore had previously written to the court on June 15, requesting a different hearing date to facilitate his acquisition of new legal representation. The demonstrators also echoed calls for Justice Umar to step down, labelling the revocation of bail as politically motivated and alleging government persecution of the activist. Amidst their demands for his immediate freedom, cries of "Free Sowore Now!" resonated through the crowd.