File: African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore.

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, on Tuesday withdrew his bid to subpoena the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, to testify in his alleged criminal defamation trial.

Sowore informed the Federal High Court in Abuja that the evidence he intended to obtain from the DSS Director-General could be produced by another official of the service.

The development followed an objection by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who appeared for the Federal Government during Tuesday’s proceedings.

Fagbemi argued that the subpoena issued to Ajayi should be set aside because the document the DSS chief was expected to tender was neither authored nor signed by him.