By Our Reporter
The Supreme Court has imposed a N5 million fine on Ambrose Owuru, a former presidential candidate, for filing frivolous and vexatious suits against President Bola Tinubu.
Owuru, who contested the 2019 presidential election under the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) against former President Muhammadu Buhari, was ordered to pay N5 million to Tinubu. The fine was imposed by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji as she dismissed Owuru’s latest lawsuit seeking the removal of Tinubu as President of Nigeria.
In addition to the N5 million fine, the court directed its Registry not to accept any future lawsuits from Owuru that are deemed frivolous.
During the proceedings, Owuru, who claims to have been called to the Nigerian Bar in 1984, attempted to argue his case while wearing his wig and gown. However, he was instructed to remove them before being allowed to present his case.
After complying, Owuru was questioned about why he had brought the case before the court again, despite having had previous lawsuits dismissed on three separate occasions. His explanations were rejected as unconvincing, and he was warned that his conduct might be referred to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).
Justice Aba-Aji criticized Owuru’s behavior, describing it as unprofessional for someone claiming to have over 40 years of legal experience. The court ultimately dismissed his suit and ordered him to pay the N5 million fine to Tinubu.
The court also expressed its displeasure with Owuru’s repeated misuse of the legal process, wasting the court’s time with meritless lawsuits and abusing judicial procedures.
Before the suit was dismissed, Bode Olanipekun SAN, representing President Tinubu, highlighted that Owuru’s previous cases had been dismissed due to their frivolous nature. He noted that the grounds of Owuru’s new suit were unclear and poorly framed. Olanipekun further stated that it was difficult to apologize on Owuru’s behalf due to his conduct, which had become intolerable in the