Toba Owojaiye reporting
Abuja, Nigeria
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has fined a former presidential candidate, Ambrose Albert Owuru, N5 million for filing what it described as a frivolous and vexatious lawsuit seeking the removal of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Truth Live News gathered that the fine was imposed by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, who dismissed Owuru’s latest suit on Monday in Abuja. The court also barred its registry from accepting any further frivolous originating summons from Owuru.
Owuru, who contested the 2019 presidential election under the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), had previously claimed victory in that election and alleged his mandate was unlawfully usurped by former President Muhammadu Buhari. In this new suit, marked SC/CV/667/2023, Owuru prayed the court to disqualify Tinubu on grounds of alleged non-qualification, citing a $460,000 forfeiture case in the U.S. and accusations of foreign affiliations.
At the hearing, Owuru, who claimed to have been called to the Nigerian Bar in 1984, was initially barred from arguing in court while wearing a lawyer’s wig and gown. After complying, he was questioned about his repeated legal challenges, which had been dismissed multiple times.
Justice Aba-Aji criticized Owuru’s conduct as unbecoming of a lawyer with over 40 years of experience, describing the suit as another attempt to abuse the court process. The court also highlighted that Owuru had been fined N40 million previously by the Court of Appeal for similar litigation.