‘He Was Rushing Back To Dismiss Us’ — Sowore Accuses Judge Of Bias, Demands Case Reassignment, Threatens NJC Petition

Abuja, Nigeria– Former presidential candidate and activist, Omoyele Sowore, has accused Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of bias and judicial misconduct, alleging that the judge attempted to hurriedly dismiss a recusal issue before being confronted in court.

Sowore made this known to public on Wednesday via his social media platforms, detailing what transpired during proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

According to him, there were prior indications that Justice Umar was “rushing back from an event” specifically to deliver a ruling on a recusal request filed by his legal team.

“Before arriving at the court, we had already been informed that Justice Mohammed Garba Umar was rushing back from an event to deliver a ruling on our recusal request. Essentially, he was hurrying back simply to dismiss it,” Sowore stated.

The activist, however, said the situation took an unexpected turn upon the judge’s arrival in court.

“But when he arrived, we confronted him with a letter addressed to the Chief Judge requesting that the case be reassigned to another judge. That move appeared to catch Justice Umar completely off guard. Flustered, he immediately asked the lead prosecutor to respond to our administrative application on the next adjourned date,” he added.

Sowore clarified that contrary to what may have been suggested, his legal team did not formally apply for Justice Umar to recuse himself from the matter. Instead, he said they took an administrative route by petitioning the Chief Judge to reassign the case entirely.

“To be clear, we did not file an application requesting that Justice Umar recuse himself. We asked the Chief Judge to reassign the case because Justice Umar had repeatedly displayed inherent bias and open disrespect toward our legal team,” he explained.

However, Sowore accused the judge of humiliating his counsel in open court, describing the incident as unprecedented and unacceptable within Nigeria’s judicial system.

“At one point, he even asked our lead counsel, Marshal D. F. Abubakar, to kneel before him in court — an outrageous act that has no place in the history of jurisprudence in Nigeria,” Sowore said.

The activist further noted that his prosecution is politically motivated, linking it directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the Department of State Services.

“Yesterday, I defiantly walked toward the ‘accused’ box at the Federal High Court in Abuja to confront the adversaries of our people, led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is using the lawless DSS DG, Tosin Ajayi, to persecute me for speaking uncomfortable truths about Tinubu and his criminal government,” Sowore alleged.

He insisted that the actions of the court and the prosecution reflect a broader pattern of intimidation aimed at silencing dissent.

Sowore also disclosed that his team is considering escalating the matter to the National Judicial Council, the body responsible for disciplining judicial officers in Nigeria.

“Frankly, we should have already petitioned the National Judicial Council to suspend Justice Umar, and that action will be taken soon,” he said.