The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the bid by Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) Omoyele Sowore to compel the Department of State Services (DSS) counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, to testify in his ongoing alleged cyberbullying trial, marking the fifth setback for the defendant in the proceedings.
Delivering the ruling on Monday, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar set aside the subpoena earlier issued against Kehinde, holding that lawyers owe their clients a strict duty of confidentiality and cannot ordinarily be compelled to disclose communications relating to legal representation.
The judge further explained that a legal practitioner could only be compelled to testify under limited circumstances, particularly where the evidence sought relates to an uncontested matter or an issue that would not prejudice the interests of the client.
Following the ruling, defence counsel, Ruben Adakole, informed the court of the defence’s intention to subpoena a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress APC, Joe Igbokwe, and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, as witnesses.
In response, Justice Umar granted the request and directed that subpoenas be issued to the proposed witnesses to appear before the court.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until November 11, 2026, for the appearance of the subpoenaed defence witnesses.
