According to him, the entire trial is politically motivated and represents a broader assault on democratic freedoms.
Abubakar Marshal, lead counsel for human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has described the ongoing cyberstalking charges filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) against his client as a case “built on a pack of cards.”
Marshal said the “show of shame” exhibited by the DSS in court during the trial demonstrated that Sowore was not the one on trial, but rather freedom of expression, press freedom, and accountability in governance.
He stated that the evasiveness and outright refusal of the prosecution’s star witness, Cyril Nosike, an operative of DSS to answer a simple question during cross-examination clearly exposed what he described as the hollowness of the case.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday after the court session, the senior lawyer explained that the prosecution’s case was a mere charade that would not stand the test of time, stressing that “you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand.”
According to him, the entire trial is politically motivated and represents a broader assault on democratic freedoms.
“This case is a trial of the Nigerian people,” Marshal said. “The freedom and liberty that our forefathers struggled to actualise are now being dragged before the court.”
He referenced past judicial pronouncements, noting that Nigerians have repeatedly been warned never to surrender their constitutional rights to oppression, regardless of who occupies public office.
Marshal argued that Nigerians have a constitutional right to demand accountability from those in power, insisting that public authority is held in trust for the people and not for personal use.
“Public power is not personal to the occupier of an office. Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria, and the government only exercises power on their behalf,” he said.
Marshal maintained that the powers vested in the President are not private privileges but collective powers of the Nigerian people, adding that national resources must be used strictly for the common good.
He added that citizens are constitutionally entitled to critique, question, and hold leaders accountable for their actions and utterances, both locally and internationally.
“Where any citizen feels aggrieved by what a public office holder has said or done, that citizen has the liberty to criticise and question such actions,” Abubakar noted.
Marshal insisted that Sowore’s trial goes beyond the individual, warning that press freedom, free speech, and government accountability are what truly stand accused.
“Mr. Sowore is not the one on trial. Freedom of expression, press freedom, and accountability in governance are what are on trial today,” he noted.
He called on Nigerians to rally together and demand that the powers they have willingly entrusted to elected officials be exercised solely in the interest of the majority and not for personal purposes.