The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed the appeal filed by Ambrose Owuru, the 2019 presidential candidate of the Hope Democratic Party, against the tenures of the immediate-past president, Muhammadu Buhari, and President Bola Tinubu. Other respondents in the appeal included the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney General of the Federation.
Owuru’s appeal had been previously dismissed at the lower court, where the court held that his action amounted to a gross abuse of the court process, characterized by filing a frivolous, vexatious, and irritating suit to provoke the respondents. The court ordered Owuru to pay N10 million each to Buhari, Tinubu, AGF, and INEC.
Owuru had claimed that Buhari encroached on his term in 2019 due to the Supreme Court not determining his appeal challenging the declaration of Buhari as the winner of the election. He sought an order directing that any form of handover inauguration organized and supervised by Buhari on May 29, 2023, should not proceed pending the determination of his appeal at the apex court.
During the Supreme Court proceedings, Owuru’s counsel, Olawuyi Olaoluwa, requested an adjournment, stating that he had just been informed of the case earlier on the same day. Justice John Okoro cautioned him against pursuing such cases in the future, suggesting that it could be detrimental to his legal career. The counsel for the AGF, Adedayo Ogundele, argued that the appeal was an abuse of the court process and urged the court to dismiss it.
Justice Okoro dismissed the appeal, stating that there was no substance in the matter. He also advised the young lawyer, Olaoluwa, not to take on such cases in the future. Olaoluwa subsequently applied to withdraw the matter, and the five-member panel led by Justice Okoro granted the dismissal of the appeal.
