Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, did not present his defence on Tuesday in a cyberbullying case brought against him by the federal government over comments about President Bola Tinubu.
Instead, Sowore's legal team asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to reassign the judge handling the matter. The request stalled proceedings and pushed back the defence presentation to a date yet to be fixed.
Sowore faces allegations of making offensive and defamatory statements on social media. The charges stem from posts he made that the government claims amounted to cyberbullying against the president.
The delay comes months after the case was filed. Sowore and his lawyers have maintained that the charges lack merit and that the case itself amounts to persecution of a critic.
The judge will rule on the application for reassignment at the next court date. Sowore's legal strategy of seeking a change of judge signals doubt about the current judge's impartiality on the case.
Meanwhile, the case remains one of several legal matters confronting Sowore since Tinubu took office last year. He faces other charges in different courts, including allegations related to national security.
