DSS May Suspend Sowore’s Suit Until After 2027 Election

The Department of State Services (DSS) is considering a temporary suspension of its cyber-bullying case against the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027 presidential election.

According to Ireporter Online, the secret police has directed its legal team to approach the Federal High Court and seek a temporary halt to the proceedings.

The proposed suspension is aimed at allowing Sowore, who is contesting the 2027 presidential election, to participate fully in campaign activities without the pending court case becoming a potential distraction or hindrance.

Sources familiar with the development said the decision followed a meeting involving DSS Director-General Tosin Ajayi, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Akinolu Kehinde, who is handling the case, and officials of the agency’s legal directorate.

The meeting reportedly took place on August 20, shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifted restrictions on presidential campaign activities.

A source familiar with the discussions said the DSS leadership considered it appropriate to pause the proceedings given the commencement of the presidential campaign season.

“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 believes the proposed suspension would not significantly affect the case, considering that the matter has already been before the court for nearly a year.

“The DSS boss told the lawyers that, since the matter had been in court for nearly a year, suspending it for another four months wouldn’t make much difference,” the source added.

The legal dispute dates back to August 2025, when Sowore made controversial comments about President Bola Tinubu on social media.

On August 25, 2025, the AAC presidential candidate posted messages on his and Facebook accounts in which he referred to Tinubu as a “criminal.”

The DSS subsequently asked Sowore to remove the posts and reportedly gave him seven days to comply. He, however, did not withdraw the statements within the stipulated period.

Rather than arresting or inviting him for questioning, the DSS approached the Federal High Court on September 16, 2025, seeking a judicial interpretation of the matter.

The agency argued that its intervention was connected to its statutory responsibility to protect the President.

In correspondence to Meta Corporation dated September 6, 2025, the DSS maintained that its protective mandate extended beyond preventing physical attacks against the President.

The service argued that its responsibilities also covered alleged psychological attacks against the President.

The agency subsequently drew a comparison between the Sowore case and its earlier legal action involving Professor Pat Utomi’s “Shadow Government”, stating that both matters raised issues requiring judicial clarification.

If the court grants the proposed suspension, Sowore would be able to concentrate on his presidential campaign while the DSS case remains pending until after the 2027 election.