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In a landmark judgment on Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed a suit that had called for the removal of President Bola Tinubu, reinforcing his legitimacy as the elected leader and quelling a significant challenge to his administration.
In a decisive and unanimous ruling by a five-member panel of justices, the Supreme Court rejected the suit filed by Chief Ambrose Owuru, the 2019 presidential candidate for the Hope Democratic Party (HDP). The court also imposed a N5 million fine on Owuru, emphasizing the meritless nature of his challenge against President Tinubu.
The panel, headed by Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji, issued a stern warning to the Supreme Court’s Registry, instructing that no further frivolous originating summons from Chief Ambrose Owuru be entertained in the future.
Owuru’s legal action, filed directly with the Supreme Court, included a controversial allegation that President Tinubu is an active agent of the CIA, asserting that this connection made him unfit to serve as the nation’s president.
The plaintiff also urged the Supreme Court to disqualify President Tinubu, citing his prior forfeiture of $460,000 to the United States government in connection with a drug-related case, a claim he argued should render Tinubu unfit to hold office.
He specifically prayed the Supreme Court to invoke section 157 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and oust Tinubu from office for being under the control of foreign authorities.
Besides, Owuru, whose political party, HDP, had since been de-registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in his suit marked SC/CV/667/2023, joined ex-President Muhammadu Buhari as a defendant in the matter.
According to the British-trained lawyer who was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, ex-President Buhari’s tenure was illegal.
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Owuru alleged that though he was the valid winner of the 2019 presidential poll, Buhari hijacked his mandate and piloted affairs of the country for eight years.
He claimed that a suit he earlier lodged before the apex court to kick Buhari out of office was technically jettisoned by the court due to a mix-up in the hearing dates.
Consequently, he argued that upon the disqualification of Tinubu for being unfit to hold the top job, the apex court should pronounce him as president and order his immediate inauguration to enable him to reclaim his usurped mandate.
Aside from President Tinubu and Buhari, other defendants in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Meantime, when the matter was called up for hearing on Monday, the plaintiff, who wore his lawyer’s wig and gown, rose to argue his case by himself.
