The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), at the Kuje Correctional Center. The order was handed down by Justice Mohammed Umar, who directed that Sowore be kept in custody in connection with the case pending before the court.
In a short ruling, Justice Umar ordered that Sowore remain at the Correctional Center pending the hearing and determination of his motion seeking a stay of the earlier order that revoked his bail, as well as the bench warrant issued against him. The decision keeps the AAC candidate in detention while his applications are still before the court.
At the same proceedings, Justice Umar dismissed an earlier application filed by Sowore that had sought the judge's recusal from the case. Sowore had asked the judge to step aside on the grounds of alleged bias, but the court rejected that request and proceeded to rule on his custody.
The remand follows the judge's decision on June 16 to revoke the bail that had earlier been granted to Sowore, after he failed to appear in court for his trial. That ruling was delivered on an oral application made by counsel to the Department of State Services, the agency prosecuting him in the matter.
Alongside revoking the bail, the court had also issued a bench warrant for Sowore's arrest over his absence from the trial. The combination of the revoked bail and the bench warrant set the stage for his current detention at the Kuje facility in the federal capital.
The underlying case stems from the prosecution of Sowore by the Department of State Services over allegations that he made false claims against the person of President Bola Tinubu. According to the charge, Sowore referred to the president as a criminal in posts published on his X and Facebook accounts.