The Supreme Court in Abuja on Monday imposed a fine of N5 million on Ambrose Albert Owuru, a former presidential candidate, for filing a frivolous and vexatious lawsuit against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Owuru, who ran in the 2019 presidential election under the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) against former President Muhammadu Buhari, was ordered to pay the fine directly to Tinubu.
Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, delivering the ruling, dismissed Owuru’s fresh petition seeking the removal of Tinubu as Nigeria’s President. The court also barred its Registry from accepting any further frivolous suits from Owuru.
During the proceedings, Owuru, who identified himself as a lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar in 1984, attempted to argue his case while dressed in a lawyer’s wig and gown. However, the court instructed him to remove his attire before proceeding, stating it was improper under the circumstances.
Justice Aba-Aji criticized Owuru’s conduct as unbecoming of a lawyer with over 40 years of experience and noted that he had brought similar cases before the court three times, all of which were dismissed.
Owuru’s latest suit, marked SC/CV/667/2023, sought to unseat Tinubu on allegations of non-qualification and usurpation of office. He also asked the Supreme Court to declare him the rightful winner of the 2019 presidential election, claiming his mandate was unlawfully taken by Buhari.
The court dismissed his arguments, ruling that his explanations were baseless and unconvincing. In addition to the N5 million fine, the court reminded Owuru that the Court of Appeal had previously fined him N40 million for filing a similar case against Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and others.
Owuru’s suit alleged that Tinubu was unqualified to hold office due to the forfeiture of $460,000 to the United States in a drug trafficking case and accused him of being an agent of the CIA, claiming this violated Nigeria’s Constitution. He also sought the enforcement of Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution to remove Tinubu from office and declare himself the President of Nigeria.
Despite these claims, the Supreme Court found no merit in the suit and upheld Tinubu’s presidency while issuing the fine as a deterrent against future frivolous litigation.