Supreme Court Fines Ex-Presidential Candidate For Harassing Tinubu

The Supreme Court on Monday slammed a fine of N5 million on Ambrose Albert Owuru, a former presidential candidate, for filing what it described as a frivolous and vexatious suit aimed at harassing President Bola Tinubu.

Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, who delivered the ruling, dismissed the fresh suit filed by Owuru and ordered him to pay the sum to Tinubu. The apex court further instructed its Registry to desist from accepting any frivolous originating summons from Owuru henceforth.

Owuru, who contested the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) against former President Muhammadu Buhari, had approached the Supreme Court to seek Tinubu’s removal from office.

At the court proceedings, Owuru, a lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar in 1984, appeared in his wig and gown, intending to argue the case.

However, the court directed him to remove his attire before presenting his arguments. After complying, he was questioned on why he returned to the court despite having his cases dismissed three times in the past.

His explanations were deemed unsatisfactory, prompting the court to consider referring him to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for misconduct.

Justice Aba-Aji, in her ruling, condemned Owuru’s actions, describing them as unbecoming of a lawyer with over 40 years of experience.

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“The Supreme Court is not a playground for baseless and vexatious suits,” Justice Aba-Aji stated, adding that Owuru’s actions amounted to an abuse of court processes and a waste of judicial resources.

President Tinubu’s counsel, Bode Olanipekun (SAN), highlighted Owuru’s history of filing frivolous suits, emphasizing that this latest case, marked SC/CV/667/2023, lacked merit and was poorly constructed.

He expressed difficulty in apologizing to the court on Owuru’s behalf due to his persistent misconduct.

Similarly, Professor Taiwo Osipitan (SAN) assured the court that Owuru’s conduct would be reported to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for appropriate disciplinary action.

Owuru’s latest suit sought to disqualify Tinubu on grounds of alleged non-qualification to hold office and purported usurpation of power.

He claimed he won the 2019 presidential election and alleged that his mandate was stolen by Buhari, whom he accused of occupying the presidency illegitimately for eight years.

The former presidential candidate also raised issues of Tinubu’s alleged forfeiture of $460,000 in the United States and accusations of being a CIA agent.

He prayed the court to invoke Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution to remove Tinubu and declare him (Owuru) the rightful President of Nigeria.

This isn’t Owuru’s first clash with the courts. The Court of Appeal had previously fined him N40 million for filing a similar suit against Tinubu, INEC, and other parties.