Former Presidential Candidate ‘Punished’ By Supreme Court Over Frivolous Suits Against Tinubu

Owuru, who ran for president in 2019 on the platform of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), was ordered to pay the fine after his latest suit seeking Tinubu’s removal from office was dismissed.

Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji issued the ruling, stating that the suit was frivolous and an abuse of court processes. In addition to the fine, the court instructed its Registry to reject any further summons or suits from Owuru that lack merit.

During the proceedings, Owuru, who claims to be a lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar in 1984, appeared in court wearing his wig and gown.

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However, he was instructed to remove them before being allowed to argue his case.

Despite his compliance, the court questioned his persistence in filing repetitive, unmeritorious lawsuits, having had similar suits dismissed on three prior occasions.

When Owuru failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for his actions, the court warned that it would refer him to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for misconduct.

Justice Aba-Aji criticized Owuru’s behavior, deeming it unbecoming of a lawyer with over 40 years of experience, as he claimed to be.

The court’s harsh words followed a detailed presentation by President Tinubu’s counsel, Bode Olanipekun SAN, who pointed out that Owuru had repeatedly wasted the court’s time with frivolous cases.

Olanipekun further noted that the latest suit was poorly written and its grounds of challenge were unclear.

He expressed frustration over Owuru’s conduct, which he described as increasingly intolerable within the legal profession.

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Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Taiwo Osipitan also added that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) would be notified of Owuru’s behavior.

This ruling comes after Owuru had been previously fined N40 million by the Court of Appeal for filing a similar frivolous suit against Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and others.

In his latest case, Owuru sought to have Tinubu removed from office on two main grounds: alleged ineligibility to serve as president and claims of misconduct, including an alleged involvement in a drug-related forfeiture of $460,000 in the United States.

Owuru also alleged that Tinubu was under the control of foreign authorities, particularly the CIA, and thus unfit to hold office.

He asked the Supreme Court to invoke Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution to remove Tinubu and declare himself the rightful president of Nigeria.

However, the court dismissed his petition, reiterating its disapproval of his repeated misuse of legal processes.