Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Nigerian judiciary and security establishment of compromising the integrity of the ongoing “Tinubu Is A Criminal” case after alleging that a television crew linked to the presidency arrived in court with prior knowledge of the ruling.
Sowore made the explosive allegation in a statement posted on X shortly after proceedings before Justice Garba Umar, where arguments on a no-case submission filed by the defence were heard.
According to him, members of a crew from TVC News entered the courtroom before the ruling was delivered, allegedly prepared with a predetermined media narrative favourable to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“This morning, while waiting in court to hear the ruling of Justice Garba Umar on our no-case submission regarding the ‘Tinubu Is A Criminal’ case, we noticed a strange occurrence,” Sowore wrote.
“A crew from TVC casually walked into the courtroom to take B-roll footage. I immediately confronted them and made it clear that we understood the script already handed to them — they had apparently been given a copy of the ruling ahead of time and were only waiting for it to be formally delivered by their judge.”
The activist further alleged that events unfolded exactly as he anticipated, claiming the media crew rushed out immediately after the ruling without waiting for other significant courtroom developments.
“That was exactly how it played out,” he said. “The moment the ruling was read, they rushed out without even waiting to report the aspect where we requested that the judge recuse himself over his conduct during the trial.”
Sowore also accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of influencing media narratives surrounding the case, alleging that headlines carried by some national broadcasters had already been scripted before proceedings concluded.
He specifically mentioned Channels Television and other unnamed media organisations, alleging that their reports were aligned with what he described as a coordinated state-backed agenda.
“Their headlines for Channels TV and other news outlets sympathetic to the Tinubu regime had already been predetermined and packaged for them by the lawless DSS long before proceedings ended,” he alleged.
The controversial case has continued to generate tension across political and civil rights circles, particularly among supporters of the African Action Congress (AAC), who insist the prosecution is politically motivated and designed to silence dissenting voices critical of the current administration.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the DSS, TVC News, Channels Television, nor the court had officially responded to Sowore’s allegations.
The claims are likely to intensify public scrutiny over judicial transparency, media independence, and the growing concerns raised by opposition figures regarding alleged political interference in high-profile legal proceedings under the Tinubu administration.