President-elect Bola Tinubu
ABUJA, May 26 (NNN-GNA) — A Nigerian court has imposed a fine on Ambrose Owuru, a former presidential candidate in the 2019 election, for filing a suit with the aim of halting the inauguration of President-elect Bola Tinubu on May 29.
The court has ordered Owuru, who is also a lawyer, to pay a sum of $87,000 for pursuing what was deemed a “strange” and “frivolous” lawsuit.
In his suit, Owuru, who contested but lost in the 2019 presidential election, had urged the court to declare him as the rightful president instead of Tinubu.
Despite not participating in the 2023 presidential election, the lawyer claimed that he had won the 2019 presidential poll but was unfairly denied his victory.
In October 2019, the Supreme Court dismissed the suit, describing it as an abuse of the court process.
Following the announcement of Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election, Owuru filed another suit based on the facts of his previous case.
On Thursday, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja unanimously dismissed the suit.
The fine imposed on Owuru serves as a deterrent against filing frivolous lawsuits and abusing the judicial system.
This development showcases the Nigerian judiciary’s commitment to upholding the integrity of legal proceedings and ensuring that legitimate cases are given due attention. — NNN-GNA
