The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) for the 2027 general election, Omoyele Sowore, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to order the arrest of former vice president and presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar over remarks describing him as a “forger” and “drug baron.”
Sowore stated this on Monday shortly after proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he dismissed claims that he could avoid his legal troubles by apologising to the President.
According to Sowore, he was informed that his prosecution was allegedly linked to his refusal to apologise to Tinubu, a suggestion he rejected outright.
“Somebody just came and told me this morning that the reason they’re charging me is because I refused to apologize to Tinubu. For what? You understand? Did I apologize to Buhari?” he said.
The AAC flagbearer insisted that President Tinubu, rather than himself, owed Nigerians an apology for seeking public office.
“It is Tinubu that should be apologizing to the Nigerian people for presenting himself for an office he’s not qualified for. Are you getting my point?
“He’s the one that should be apologizing on a daily basis for presenting himself as a person who is worthy that was not he’s not worthy of,” Sowore said.
He also defended his previous criticism of the President, arguing that others had made even stronger allegations without facing prosecution.
“What did they say is the crime I committed? That I called him a criminal. Atiku called him a forger and a drug baron yesterday or the day before yesterday. Let them go and carry Atiku now. Yes, let them go and carry Atiku,” he declared.
The case involving Sowore and President Tinubu stems from social media posts made by the AAC presidential candidate in August 2025, in which he described the President as a “criminal” while reacting to Tinubu’s public comments on corruption in Nigeria.
The Federal Government subsequently filed two court charges against Sowore under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Criminal Code, accusing him of cyberstalking, criminal defamation and spreading false information through electronic means.
The human rights activist, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges, insisting that his remarks constituted legitimate political criticism protected by the constitutional right to freedom of expression. He has also maintained that he would not apologise to the President over the comments.
During the trial, a witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) testified that Sowore’s prosecution was initiated on security grounds and not as a result of any personal petition filed by President Tinubu.
Meanwhile, proceedings in Sowore’s cyberbullying trial were adjourned on Monday after a heated exchange between his lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), and prosecuting counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), before Justice Muhammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The defence sought an adjournment, citing its inability to obtain certified court documents needed to question a DSS witness, while the prosecution opposed the request, accusing Sowore’s legal team of delaying the trial.
Justice Umar cautioned Fusika over his conduct during the proceedings and adjourned the case until September 20 for the continuation of the defence.