The Department of State Services (DSS) has directed its legal team to seek a temporary suspension of the cyberbullying case filed against the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027 presidential election.
The decision followed a meeting involving the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Akinolu Kehinde, who is representing the agency, and senior officials of the DSS legal directorate on August 20, 2026.
A source familiar with the meeting said the agency’s leadership considered it appropriate to put the case on hold to enable Sowore to participate fully in the presidential campaign and election without the ongoing court proceedings becoming a distraction.
According to the source, Ajayi told the legal team that the case had already remained before the court for almost a year and that delaying further proceedings for about four months would not materially affect the matter.
“The DSS boss reportedly told the Senior Advocate and his directorate of legal services that, with the commencement of presidential campaigns, it would only be fair to pause the court case in order to enable Sowore fully participate in the upcoming elections without let or hindrance,” the source said.
The source added that the DSS is expected to formally communicate its position to the Federal High Court when the court resumes regular proceedings from September 14, 2026, following the annual judicial vacation.
If the application is granted, proceedings in the case would remain suspended throughout the major period of the 2027 presidential campaign and election.
The case arose from social media posts made by Sowore on August 25, 2025, on his X account and Facebook page, in which he referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal.”
Following the posts, the DSS reportedly issued Sowore a seven-day ultimatum to remove the publications. He declined to comply with the directive.
The agency subsequently approached the Federal High Court for a judicial determination on whether Sowore’s social media comments amounted to cyberbullying.
The DSS also asked the court to determine whether describing the President or any other person as a “criminal” without a prior court pronouncement was legally permissible.
The latest development, if formally presented to and approved by the court, would temporarily halt the proceedings while Sowore focuses on his campaign for the 2027 presidential election.
