The Supreme Court, on Monday, awarded a N5 million fine against Ambrose Owuru, a former presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections, for filing a “frivolous and vexatious” suit against President Bola Tinubu.
Delivering judgement, a five-member panel of justices also ordered the court registry not to accept any frivolous suit from Owuru, known for strange presidential election litigation henceforth.
Owuru’s appeal was filed against a May 2023 decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissing his case, which he weaved from his grievances against the previous 2019 presidential election.
The Court of Appeal’s decision delivered on 25 May 2023, four days before Tinubu’s inauguration, described the case as strange, frivolous and irritating.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Owuru stood to argue his own case wearing his wig and gown on Monday.
He was, however, ordered out of the Bar and directed to remove his wig and gown before he could be allowed to address the court.
Upon complying with the orders, Owuru was asked why he came before the court again, having had his suits dismissed three times.
Although he tried unsuccessfully to convince the court to grant him adequate audience, his explanations were rejected as unconvincing.
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As he insisted on being heard, the court threatened to refer him to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).
Ms Aba-Aji, in a ruling, held that Owuru’s conduct was unbecoming of a lawyer of over 40 years in practice.
The court lambasted him for taking the court for a ride, wasting its precious time with baseless suits and grossly abusing the court processes.
Before the suit was thrown out, Bode Olanipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who appeared for President Tinubu, had drawn the attention of the court to several cases of Owuru that were dismissed on account of frivolity.
The senior lawyer said that the direction of the instant suit could not be understood because of the poor way and manner it was couched by the applicant.
Olanipekun also said that it was difficult for him to apologise to the court on behalf of Owuru because his conduct had become something unbearable in the practice of law profession.
The judge consequently dismissed the suit and awarded N5 million against him and in favour of Tinubu.
In his response, a professor of law, Taiwo Osipitan, a SAN, who was also in court, assured that the conduct of the former presidential candidate would be referred to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Owuru sought the removal of Mr Tinubu from office in light of certain new revelations.
He said in the suit, which started at the Federal High Court last year, that Mr Tinubu was not qualified to be Nigerian president over certain revelation that he previously acted as an agent of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
He also urged the court to disqualify President Tinubu on account of forfeiture of $460,000 to the United States of America over his alleged involvement in drug trafficking-related offences.
Although he was not a presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr Owuru urged the court to remove President Tinubu from office and order his immediate inauguration to reclaim his mandate allegedly usurped from him in 2019.
Mr Owuru, a lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, maintained that he won the 2019 presidential poll but that his mandate was unlawfully taken by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, his suit challenging the 2019 election result was dismissed by the Supreme Court due to a procedural mix-up, leaving his claims unaddressed.
He urged the court to grant his prayers by invoking section 157 of the Nigerian constitution to oust President Tinubu from office on account of being under the control of foreign authorities.
He stated that granting his application “will protect and save Nigeria from looming selloff of the entire country’s wealth and political health in the light of the new revelations of the nature of 4th Respondent (Tinubu’s) constitutional disqualification to hold office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The defendants in the suit are former President Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and President Tinubu, sued as 1st to 4th defendants, respectively.
