THE presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2027 general elections, Omoyele Sowore, has lost his bid to compel the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi, to personally appear in court as a witness in his trial over the alleged cyberbullying of President Bola Tinubu.
News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed Sowore’s application while delivering a ruling on the matter.
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At the day’s proceedings, Justice Umar ruled on the arguments for and against the subpoena issued to the DSS Director General at the request of the defence.
Sowore, through his lawyer, Adeyinka Fusika, SAN, had sought an order of the Federal High Court compelling the DSS Director General to appear and testify on the agency’s official activities relating to the cyberbullying case instituted against him.
However, counsel for the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, opposed the move, arguing that another official of the agency could testify on the Director General’s behalf.
The senior lawyer argued that it was absurd for Sowore to insist on the DSS Director General’s appearance in court in a matter that was purely official and not personal.
He maintained that since the DSS had put Sowore on trial, any official delegated by the organisation could testify on behalf of the establishment.
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In his ruling, Justice Umar held that the subpoena concerned an official act of the DSS and that the expected testimony was not personal to the Director General.
The court consequently ruled that another DSS official could appear to give evidence on behalf of the agency.
