By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar, has turned down the application by Omoyele Sowore, Presidential candidate of the African Alliance Congress (AAC), seeking a long adjournment of his trial in the defamation of President Bola Tinubu charges filed against him by the Department of the State Service DSS.
Sowore, through his lawyer, Reuben Adakole, had on Monday applied that his defence in the charge be shifted till after the two months annual vacation of the Court.
The activist who is put on trial for allegedly calling President Tinubu a criminal on his Facebook page and X handle predicament his long adjournment on the ground that his choice lawyer, Olumide Fusika SAN was out of the country to attend to family matters.
His request was, however, vehemently opposed by counsel to the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde SAN, who drew the attention of the Court to ten previous adjournments the trial suffered at the instance of Sowore
The senior lawyer told Justice Umar that the latest request for long adjournment was a ploy and antics to further frustrate the criminal trial.
Kehinde SAN also drew the attention of the Court to day-to- day accelerated trial granted by the Court in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice System ACJA 2015 adding that granting two months adjournment would be against the earlier order of the Court.
In a brief ruling, Justice Umar turned down the long adjournment application based on the previous order of the court.
The judge, subsequently, ordered Sowore to be in court on July 16 for continuation of his defence in the charge.
Sowore’s first witness and Abuja based lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, had in continuation of his evidence insisted that President Tinubu during an official engagement in Benue State had said citizens have the right to insult, abuse, criticize and call him names, and that law enforcement agencies should allow citizens exercise their rights as part of democracy.
The matter was adjourned to July 16 for the continuation of defence by Sowore.
