Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The Department of State Services (DSS), has directed its private counsel, A.T. Kehinde, SAN, to seek an adjournment of the alleged cyber-bullying case instituted against African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027 presidential election.
The move, according to a source close to the DSS legal team, was aimed at ensuring that Sowore was able to fully participate in the presidential election without the pending court proceedings constituting a hindrance to his campaign.
Sowore is facing prosecution over social media posts published on his X handle and Facebook page on August 25, 2025, in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
The DSS had approached the Federal High Court seeking judicial determination of whether it was lawful for Sowore to make such a reference to the president or any other individual, describing the case as an effort to obtain judicial interpretation of the limits of such expressions.
The service had earlier given Sowore seven days to remove the posts. Following his refusal to comply with the directive, the DSS approached the court on September 16, 2025, seeking adjudication rather than arresting or inviting him.
The source disclosed that DSS Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, met with Kehinde and senior officials of the service’s legal directorate on August 20, 2026, shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifted the ban on political campaigns.
According to the source, Ajayi directed the legal team to consider seeking the court’s indulgence to suspend proceedings until after the election, arguing that it would be fair to allow Sowore to exercise his constitutional right to contest without the case becoming a distraction or impediment.
“The DSS boss reportedly told the Senior Advocate and his directorate of legal services that, with the commencement of presidential campaigns, it would only be fair to adjourn the court case in order to enable Sowore fully participate in the upcoming elections without let or hindrance,” the source said.
The source added that the DSS considered the proposed adjournment reasonable because the case had already been before the court for almost a year.
“He told the lawyers that, since the matter had been in court for nearly a year, suspending it for another few months wouldn’t make much difference,” the source said.