A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of Omoyele Sowore, the activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), after he failed to show up for his trial on Tuesday.

Justice Mohammed Umar revoked the bail earlier granted to Sowore and issued a warrant for his arrest. The defendant was supposed to open his defence to a two-count cybercrime charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The charges stem from a social media post Sowore made on August 25, 2025. In the post, he called President Bola Tinubu a "criminal" and accused him of lying about ending corruption in Nigeria.

Sowore had pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned on December 2, 2025. He later decided to represent himself after his legal team withdrew from the case.

At the resumed proceedings on Tuesday, Sowore was absent. He sent a letter explaining that he'd travelled to Lagos to find new lawyers. But the court wasn't satisfied.

The DSS asked the judge to revoke his bail and issue an arrest warrant. Justice Umar granted the request.

Before his absence, Sowore had asked the judge to recuse himself from the trial. He accused Justice Umar of bias, pointing to an incident where his lawyer was ordered to kneel before the court.

Sowore also said his lawyers were scared off by the court's decision to hear the case on a day-to-day basis and by what he called the judge's high-handedness.

"My lawyers indicated to me that they're afraid to appear before you and will no longer appear because of the humiliation they suffered before this court," Sowore had told the court earlier.

"Pending the time I am able to reconstitute a new legal team, I shall be representing myself before your lordship."

The charge against Sowore falls under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024. The prosecution claims the posts were intended to cause a breakdown of law and order and to tarnish the president's reputation.

The DSS had earlier demanded that X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. ban Sowore's accounts and remove the posts. The security agency also wrote to Sowore, asking him to delete the posts from all platforms. When he didn't comply, they filed charges.

X Inc. and Meta were initially listed as co-defendants but were later removed from the amended charge.

The exact posts in question were made on Sowore's X (formerly Twitter) handle @YeleSowore and his Facebook handle @YeleSowore. They read: "This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!"

Sowore's post was a reaction to President Tinubu's claim during a trip to Brazil that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.

Now, with a warrant out for his arrest, Sowore's next move is uncertain. The case has been adjourned to a date yet to be fixed.