Online publisher and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has withdrawn his bid to subpoena the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, as a witness in his ongoing criminal defamation trial over alleged defamatory social media posts against President Bola Tinubu.
Sowore informed the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday that the evidence he initially sought from the DSS Director-General could instead be obtained from another official of the Service, effectively dropping plans to compel Ajayi’s appearance before the court.
The development came as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), personally led the prosecution for the first time since the commencement of the trial on behalf of the Federal Government.
Fagbemi opposed the subpoena issued to the DSS Director-General, arguing that the document on which Ajayi was expected to testify was not authored by him but by another DSS official who had already testified in the case.
The Attorney-General told the court that the letter issued by the DSS advising Sowore to delete the social media posts in which he described President Tinubu as a “criminal” had already been tendered and admitted in evidence twice before the same court, making any further attempt to tender it unnecessary.
He further argued that the author of the letter, Mr Uwen Davis, had appeared before the court on July 22 as a defence witness and that the document was already part of the court’s records.
Counsel to Sowore, Olumide Fusika (SAN), however, challenged the Attorney-General’s appearance in the matter, contending that Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) remained the counsel representing the Federal Government on the court’s record.
Following the proceedings, Justice Muhammed Umar adjourned the case until Monday, August 3, for the continuation of Sowore’s defence.
Boluwatife Enome
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