Saraki Heads to Appeal Court After Kwara High Court Rejects Jurisdiction Objection in Free Speech Case

Former Senate President Bukola Saraki is heading to the Court of Appeal after the Kwara State High Court dismissed his objection to the court's jurisdiction in a criminal defamation and cyberbullying case. The lawsuit was initiated by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq against Saraki.

The proceedings continued at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin despite the absence of Saraki's lead counsel, who was reportedly indisposed. While the court declined to issue a bench warrant against Saraki, it rejected the defense's argument that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the case. The judge adjourned the matter for further hearing on July 22.

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The issue of jurisdiction goes to the root of the matter.

Saraki's legal team maintains that the issue of jurisdiction is paramount and must be resolved before the main case can proceed. According to a statement from the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, Saraki has instructed his lawyers to file an appeal immediately. They emphasized that the appeal process would be completed before the next scheduled court date.

The case originated from a social media post Saraki made on April 17, 2026, in response to a statement from the Kwara State Government. The government alleged that Saraki's post constituted criminal defamation and cyberbullying against Governor AbdulRazaq, claiming his comments questioning the governor's educational qualifications could incite public unrest. Saraki, however, maintains that his posts were a legitimate exercise of his constitutional right to freedom of expression as an opposition leader and that attempts are being made to silence him. He expressed confidence in the Nigerian judiciary and urged his supporters to remain peaceful.

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I have confidence in the Nigerian judiciary and its ability to do justice to all parties in every case.