The Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a document tendered by activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, which alleged that President Bola Tinubu, in 2011, described former President Goodluck Jonathan as a “drunkard”.
The exhibit, also said to contain claims that Tinubu referred to Jonathan as “a sinking fisherman”, was rejected after the court held that the witness through whom it was presented disowned the document.
Trial judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, declined to admit the exhibit, noting that the prosecution witness distanced himself from its contents.
The witness, Mr Cyril Nosike, identified as an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the first prosecution witness (PW-1), told the court under cross-examination by Sowore’s counsel, Mr Abubakar Marshal, that he was not aware that President Tinubu made such remarks about the former president.
Relying on the witness’s position, counsel to the DSS, Mr Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the document, arguing that it failed to meet the requirements of the Evidence Act since the witness was not the maker.
Earlier, the witness declined to answer a question on whether Tinubu was a major opposition figure in 2011, saying he would not comment on the issue. He also answered in the negative when asked if he was aware that Tinubu had described Jonathan as “corrupt and shameless”.
Following a similar objection by the prosecution, the court also rejected another document tendered by the defence which alleged that Tinubu had described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as “an expired meat”.
During cross-examination, Sowore’s counsel asked the witness if he had evidence that corruption had ended in Nigeria. He answered in the negative. When asked if there was corruption in the country, the witness said he was “not in the position to answer”.
“My Lord, he is asking for my opinion. I am not here to give an opinion,” the PW-1 said.
Asked if he was aware that the DSS dismissed 115 officers in December 2025 for corruption, the witness said he recalled that the officers were dismissed following an internal investigation, but not specifically for corruption.
He also said he was not aware that, in 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged five former governors for corruption, arrested officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over an alleged N7.2bn fraud, or dismissed 27 officers for fraud and misconduct.
Confirming that he monitors cyberspace round the clock, the witness said his focus was on national security issues within his mandate.
When defence counsel produced publications on the dismissal of DSS officers and asked the witness to confirm that the cases bordered on fraud and corruption, he declined, stating that he was not part of the process that led to their dismissal.
The witness also denied knowledge of Nigeria’s global corruption ranking and said he was not aware of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Asked if he knew that Nigeria ranked 140 out of 180 countries, he said he was not aware.
Under further questioning, the witness said he knew Chief Femi Fani-Kayode as an ambassador-designate but was not aware that he was a vocal critic of President Tinubu. He also said he was unaware of claims on social media linking Tinubu to the murder of Chief Funsho Williams, or allegations by another ambassador-designate, Mr Reno Omokri, accusing Tinubu of complicity in the killing.
Justice Umar adjourned the case until March 5 to enable the defence to conclude its cross-examination.
Sowore is standing trial over a social media post in which he described President Tinubu as a “criminal”. He faces a two-count amended charge under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
According to the prosecution, the post, made on August 25, 2025, followed a statement by President Tinubu during an official visit to Brazil that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria. The government alleges that the publication was intended to cause a breakdown of law and order and to tarnish the President’s reputation.
Sowore, who was first arraigned on December 2, 2025 and re-arraigned on January 19, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In this article