An Abuja Federal High Court on Wednesday rejected evidence tendered by activist Omoyele Sowore alleging that President Bola Tinubu once referred to former President Goodluck Jonathan as a “drunkard,” ruling that the document failed to meet legal standards for admissibility.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), is standing trial on cybercrime charges linked to a social media post in which he described Tinubu as a “criminal.”
The disputed exhibit, a printed document purportedly containing remarks allegedly made by Tinubu in 2011, also claimed the president described Jonathan as “a sinking fisherman.” Trial judge Justice Mohammed Umar declined to admit the document after the prosecution’s first witness distanced himself from its contents.
The witness, Cyril Nosike, a Department of State Services (DSS) operative, told the court during cross-examination that he was unaware of any such remarks by Tinubu against Jonathan.
Based on that testimony, counsel to the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, objected to the document’s admissibility, arguing that it violated provisions of the Evidence Act because the witness was not the document’s author nor could he verify its authenticity. Justice Umar upheld the objection.
The court similarly rejected another document tendered by Sowore’s lawyer alleging that Tinubu once described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as “expired meat,” following a separate objection by the prosecution.
During cross-examination by Sowore’s lawyer, Abubakar Marshal, the DSS witness declined to answer questions about Tinubu’s role as an opposition figure in 2011, saying he did not wish to comment on political matters.
Nosike also denied knowledge of claims that Tinubu had described Jonathan as “corrupt and shameless,” and said he was not aware of corruption-related developments cited by the defence, including:
- The dismissal of 115 DSS officers in 2025
- Alleged corruption cases involving former governors
- The arrest of officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over an alleged ₦7.2 billion fraud
- Nigeria’s ranking on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index
He said his duties were limited to monitoring cyberspace strictly for national security concerns, not broader governance or corruption issues.
“I am not here to give opinions,” the witness told the court.
The witness acknowledged awareness of Chief Funsho Williams, a Lagos politician who was murdered in 2006, but said he could not recall that the killing occurred while Tinubu was governor of Lagos State. He denied knowledge of allegations by former presidential aide Reno Omokri or claims by Femi Fani-Kayode, now an ambassador-designate, linking Tinubu to the murder.
Sowore is facing a two-count amended charge under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, over a social media post published on August 25, 2025, following Tinubu’s claim during an official visit to Brazil that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
Prosecutors say Sowore’s description of Tinubu as a “criminal” was intended to incite public disorder and damage the president’s reputation.
Following the post, the DSS wrote to X (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms (Facebook) demanding the removal of the content and suspension of Sowore’s accounts. The agency also formally requested that Sowore delete the post.
Authorities said charges were filed after Sowore and the platforms declined to comply.
Exhibits admitted by the court include printouts of the social media posts and copies of DSS correspondence with the platforms.
Justice Umar adjourned the case until 05 March when the defence is expected to conclude cross-examination of the prosecution’s witness.
