He disagreed with the court's position that Sowore would represent SaharaReporters Media Group in the case.
#RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore on Thursday addressed Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, informing the court that the police actions against him were an insult.
SaharaReporters had reported that the defamation and cyber-stalking suit filed against the human rights activist by the FCT Commissioner of Police on behalf of Senator Ned Nwoko stalled on Thursday following the failure of the police to serve the 3rd defendant (SaharaReporters Media Group Incorporated) a hearing notice.
The matter which was slated for arraignment before Justice Nwite could not go on as scheduled following the legal fireworks arising from the inability of the police to serve a hearing notice on the 3rd defendant.
At the resumed hearing of the case before Justice Emeka, Sowore’s lawyer, Tope Temokun objected to the move by the court to proceed with the trial and force his client to take pleas for 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants.
Temokun argued that it was improper for the court to impose the representative of the 3rd defendant on his client just as he insisted that the 1st defendant had resigned from the SaharaReporters Media Group Incorporated and could not represent other defendants in the case.
He disagreed with the court's position that Sowore would represent SaharaReporters Media Group in the case. He added that his client travelled to Nigeria from the United States to attend his trial.
Addressing the court on the matter, Sowore said, “There is a registered certificate of SaharaReporters in the US.”
The former African Action Congress presidential candidate for 2019 and 2023 noted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission did not bring Binance's founder (Changpeng Zhaoto) the court but its representatives.
“EFCC did not bring Binance, it brought a representative of Binance that they arrested. If they wanted to try Binance in front of you, you would have requested that hearing notice should be given to Binance. You have a similar case. Is it because we are Nigerians that they now abuse us?” he asked.
“I set up a company, there is no lie about it and the company runs today independent of me,” he added.
He urged the judge not to allow injustice in his court, saying for a proper trial to take place, the police should serve a hearing notice on the Respondents.
“SaharaReporters has a management of which I’m no longer part. I told you this; I told you that when I got to the US, I would be able to give you documents but the DSS seized my phones.
“I’m here to represent myself having spent over $4,000 to travel back because I promised you on my honour and the honour of this court that I am not going to run away. That is why I take exception to him (police prosecutor) saying that I’m evading service.”
Speaking outside the courtroom, Temokun said, “We can’t allow the police to do lazy man’s work and want to come to reap where they did not sow.
“After front and back arguments, the court upheld that position that there is a need for SaharaReporters to be served with a hearing notice for next proceedings. The court is still insisting that Mr Omoyele Sowore represents SaharaReporters but we are saying for this trial, you cannot.
“Somebody is in this country for a very serious business, political business, revolutionary business, you cannot say that person is managing a company. It is like saying Tinubu is the one managing TVC, you can’t say that or is the one managing NTA.”
Sowore said it was “particularly very laughable that this so-called billionaire, Ned Nwoko went to the Commissioner of Police of FCT, the Federal Capital of Thieves to say that I insulted him in SaharaReporters, that I was stalking him”.
He added that “what they don’t even know is that the cybercrime law has been amended, last month”.
He said, “The section that affects me has to do with pornography. Am I a pornographer? That is the new law now but we are not even there yet.
“But that the police will be using their time on these rubbish cases. Today, we will be going to try to bail out Ijele who has been detained for 40 days by a religious leader somewhere in the East.
“And what Ijele said is on social media that if you say you are doing miracles, can you provide evidence of those miracles? And if you believe in God, why did you need the police that is godless to go and be charging people to court?”
Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju noted that “there is no member of the status quo that can eradiate suffering in the country”.
He continued, “There is no member of the status quo that would bring about development in this country because members of the status quo will continue to do fraudulent coastal highways for outrageous trillions just to settle political sponsors and people for political patronage.”