He argued that the judge can no longer be perceived as impartial following complaints by the defendant and his legal team.
Human rights activist and pro-democracy campaigner Adeola Soetan has called on Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja to immediately recuse himself from the ongoing trial of activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore.
He argued that the judge can no longer be perceived as impartial following complaints by the defendant and his legal team.
Soetan made the call in a statement titled "Sowore Vs Justice Umar", reacting to the revocation of Sowore's bail and his subsequent remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending further proceedings in the case instituted against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to Soetan, the principles of fair hearing and natural justice require a judge to step aside whenever litigants and their lawyers have demonstrably lost confidence in the court's impartiality and have formally raised concerns about the conduct of proceedings.
