- The Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit seeking the removal of President Bola Tinubu, citing frivolous claims related to CIA and drug allegations
- Plaintiff Ambrose Owuru, who represented himself in court, was fined N5 million for filing the baseless suit against Tinubu and former President Buhari
- The court also warned against future frivolous lawsuits, upholding Tinubu’s legitimacy as president and clearing him of any foreign influence
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed a lawsuit aimed at removing President Bola Tinubu from office. The suit, filed by Ambrose Owuru, the presidential candidate of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) in the 2019 general election, was based on allegations linking Tinubu to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States and drug-related offences.
In a unanimous ruling delivered by a five-member panel of justices led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, the court declared the suit frivolous and imposed a N5 million fine on Owuru. The court also warned the Registry not to accept any further frivolous claims from the plaintiff.
Owuru had filed the suit directly at the apex court, alleging that President Tinubu was an agent of the CIA, and thus unfit to hold the office of president. He further argued that Tinubu should be disqualified from office due to his forfeiture of $460,000 in a drug-related case in the United States.
Owuru called on the Supreme Court to invoke Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to oust Tinubu, claiming the president was under the influence of foreign authorities.
In his suit, marked SC/CV/667/2023, Owuru also named former President Muhammadu Buhari as a defendant. Before he filed the case, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had deregistered Owuru's political party, HDP.
When the case was heard on Monday, December 16, Owuru represented himself in court, wearing a lawyer’s wig and gown.
The plaintiff has a history of filing legal actions aimed at challenging the outcomes of elections.
Notably, in May 2023, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal imposed a N40 million fine on Owuru for filing a “frivolous” lawsuit in an attempt to prevent Tinubu from being sworn in as president.
Before now, Owuru had also sought to prevent former President Buhari’s inauguration, alleging that INEC had assisted Buhari in manipulating the results of the 2019 presidential election.
Owuru, a British-trained lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, claimed that Buhari’s presidency was illegal and that his mandate had been stolen.
Tinubu calls for global action to end conflict in Gaza
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that President Bola Ahmed urged world leaders at the Riyadh summit to take decisive steps to end violence in Gaza.
Tinubu reiterated Nigeria’s call for an immediate ceasefire, stressing that military strategies should not prioritise gains at the expense of civilian lives.
