The legal battle involving African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, took another turn on Tuesday after he withdrew plans to call the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, as a defence witness in his alleged defamation trial involving President Bola Tinubu.
Sowore informed the court that the evidence he initially intended to obtain from the DSS chief could be provided by another official of the agency, making Ajayi’s appearance unnecessary.
The development came after the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who personally represented the Federal Government, challenged the subpoena issued to the DSS Director-General.
Fagbemi argued that the document the defence sought to rely on was not authored by Ajayi but by another DSS official who had already testified during the proceedings. He told the court that the letter asking Sowore to remove a social media post describing President Tinubu as a criminal had already been tendered and admitted in evidence twice, making another presentation unnecessary.
According to the Attorney-General, the author of the letter, Mr. Uwen Davis, appeared before the court on July 22, 2026, as a defence witness and testified on the document, which is already part of the court’s records.
Counsel to Sowore, Olumide Fusika (SAN), also raised an objection to Fagbemi’s appearance in the case. He argued that Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Akinlolu Kehinde, remained the Federal Government’s counsel officially listed in the court’s records.
After hearing submissions from both parties, the court adjourned the matter until Monday, August 3, 2026, for the continuation of the defence.
The case centres on allegations that Sowore made defamatory statements against President Bola Tinubu in a social media post, an accusation the activist and former presidential candidate is contesting before the court.
