by Nurat Uthman
The Supreme Court on Monday in Abuja imposed a N5 million fine on a former presidential candidate, Ambrose Albert Owuru, for harassing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with a frivolous and vexatious suit.
Owuru, who contested the 2019 presidential election against former President Muhammadu Buhari on the platform of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), was ordered to pay the N5 million to Tinubu.
Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji issued the order against the former presidential candidate while dismissing his fresh suit praying for the removal of Tinubu as Nigeria’s President.
Apart from the N5 million fine, the apex court ordered its Registry not to accept any frivolous originating summons from Owuru again.
At Monday’s proceedings, Owuru, who claimed to be a lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar in 1984, sought to argue his own case wearing his wig and gown.
He was ordered out of the Bar and directed to remove his wig and gown before he could be allowed to argue his case.
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 to convince the Apex Court to grant him adequate audience, his explanations were rejected as unconvincing.
Justice Aba-Aji ruled that Owuru’s conduct was unbecoming of a lawyer of over 40 years, as he claimed to be.
In the end, the Court dismissed his suit and ordered him to pay Tinubu N5 million.
It will be recalled that the Court of Appeal had previously imposed a fine of N40 million on Owuru, to be paid to Tinubu, INEC, and others, for filing a suit against them.
The new suit, marked SC/CV/667/2023, prayed the Apex Court to sack Tinubu on two major grounds: alleged non-qualification to hold office as Nigeria’s President and alleged usurpation of the office in contravention of the law.
