This ruling marks the latest in a series of legal challenges against President Tinubu, who has faced scrutiny over past allegations but remains in office following his inauguration earlier this year.
Abuja, Nigeria – The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed a suit filed by Ambrose Owuru, the presidential candidate of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), seeking the removal of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The court described the suit as frivolous and imposed a fine of N5 million on the petitioner.
Owuru’s case alleged that President Tinubu’s links to the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and a prior $460,000 forfeiture to the U.S. government in a drug-related case rendered him unfit for office. He argued that these alleged affiliations compromised Tinubu’s ability to discharge his duties effectively, claiming the president’s loyalty might be beholden to foreign authorities.
The petitioner had invoked Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), seeking the court’s intervention to disqualify Tinubu from the presidency. In addition, Owuru requested the court to declare him the rightful winner of the 2019 presidential election and order his immediate inauguration.
Owuru also included former President Muhammadu Buhari as a respondent in the case, alleging that Buhari’s tenure was unconstitutional and that he had usurped his (Owuru’s) mandate in 2019. He claimed that a prior suit challenging Buhari’s presidency was dismissed due to a scheduling error, thereby enabling what he described as an illegal eight-year rule.
The suit, identified as SC/CV/667/2023, listed Tinubu, Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as respondents. Owuru maintained that Tinubu’s disqualification would rectify the alleged injustice and restore his mandate as the legitimate winner of the 2019 election.
However, the Supreme Court dismissed all claims, stating the arguments lacked merit and did not provide sufficient grounds for President Tinubu’s removal. The court emphasized that the petition was a waste of judicial time and resources, prompting the imposition of a N5 million fine on Owuru for filing the case.
This ruling marks the latest in a series of legal challenges against President Tinubu, who has faced scrutiny over past allegations but remains in office following his inauguration earlier this year.
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