The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the appeal by the 2019 presidential candidate of Hope Democratic Party, Ambrose Owuru against the tenures of the immediate-past president, Muhammadu Buhari Buhari and President Bola Tinubu.
Other respondents in the appeal are the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Attorney General of the Federation.
At the lower court, Owuru’s appeal was dismissed.
The appeal court, while dismissing the appeal, held that Owuru embarked on gross abuse of the court process by filing a frivolous, vexatious, and irritating suit to provoke the respondents.
The appellate court added that the action of Owuru to resuscitate the case that died in 2019 at the Supreme Court was aimed at making the lower courts go on a collision course with the supremacy of the apex court.
The court then ordered him to pay N10m each to Buhari, Tinubu, AGF, and INEC.
Owuru had claimed that the former president, Buhari, encroached on his term in 2019 because the Supreme Court did not determine his appeal challenging the declaration of Buhari as the winner of the election.
He also sought for another order directing and placing on notice that any form of handover inauguration, organised and Superintended by Buhari on May 29, 2023, should not be held pending the determination of his appeal at the apex court.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, Owuru approached the Supreme Court for redress.
When the matter was being called on Monday, the counsel for the appellant, Olawuyi Olaoluwa, urged the court to adjourn the matter, adding that he had just called in the early hours of Monday to appear in court for the appellant.
When Justice Okoro asked if he knew what the case was about, Olaoluwa said he had not taken a look at the processes.
The counsel for the AGF, Adedayo Ogundele, said the appeal was an abuse of the court process and urged the court to dismiss it.
The appellant is claiming to have won the presidential election conducted on February 16, 2019, whereas the election was held on February 2023. My lord, his appeal is an abuse of the court process.
Okoro cautioned him against pursuing a similar case in the future.
He said, “There is no substance in this matter. If it were a SAN that brought this matter, he would have been fined. As a young lawyer don’t take this kind of case again. It is not good for your career.”
Olaoluwa afterward, applied to withdraw the matter.
The five-member panel led by John Okoro dismissed the appeal.
Punch
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