By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Supreme Court has thrown out a suit seeking the removal of President Bola Tinubu from office.
The suit was filed by the presidential candidate of the Hope Democratic Party in the 2019 general election, Ambrose Aworu.
He sought Tinubu’s removal from office based on allegations bordering on Tinubu’s purported involvement in activities of Central Intelligence Agency and drug allegations.
However, the apex court in an unanimous decision by a five-member panel of justices led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, on Monday held that the suit was frivolous and that Owuru be fined the sum of N5 million.
It further warned the Registry of the Supreme Court to desist from dignifying any frivolous suit originating from the plaintiff again.
In the legal action he filed directly at the apex court, Owuru, among other claims, alleged that President Tinubu is an active agent of the CIA of the United States of America, a position he argued makes him unfit to occupy the presidential seat.
The plaintiff equally urged the apex court to disqualify Tinubu on the account that he had earlier forfeited the sum of $460,000 to the government of the USA in a drug-related case.
He specifically prayed the Supreme Court to invoke section 157 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and oust Tinubu from office for being under the control of foreign authorities.
Recall that the HDP which offered its platform for Owuru to contest five years ago has since been de-registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC)
But filing his suit marked SC/CV/667/2023, Owuru also joined ex-President Muhammadu Buhari as a defendant in the matter.
However, when the matter was called up for hearing on Monday, the plaintiff, who wore his lawyer’s wig and gown, rose to argue his case by himself.
Recall that the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal had on May 25, 2023, also imposed a N40 million fine against the plaintiff for filing a “frivolous” suit to stop Tinubu from being sworn in as president.
He claimed that INEC assisted former president Muhammadu Buhari to manipulate the outcome of the 2019 presidential election.
Owuru contended that though the election was originally fixed for February 16, 2019, the INEC, about five hours to the commencement of the poll, announced a postponement and later held the electoral exercise on February 23, 2019.
The plaintiff claimed that prior to the postponement, he had emerged as the winner of a referendum he said was conducted and monitored by both foreign and local organisations.
He told the court that he had, at the end of the said referendum, garnered over 50 million votes, which he said was far and above the number of votes that other candidates that contested the presidential election, including Buhari, secured.
According to the British-trained lawyer who was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, ex-President Buhari’s tenure was illegal.
Owuru alleged that though he was the valid winner of the 2019 presidential poll, Buhari hijacked his mandate and piloted affairs of the country for eight years.
Meanwhile , he argued that upon the disqualification of Tinubu for being unfit to hold the top job, the apex court should pronounce him as president and order his immediate inauguration to enable him to reclaim his usurped mandate.
Aside from President Tinubu and Buhari, other defendants in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission.
