The Supreme Court of Nigeria is set to determine the fate of President Bola Tinubu on Monday, December 16, in a fresh disqualification suit that could potentially remove him from office.
The case, marked SC/CV/667/2023, has been filed by Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru, a former presidential candidate from the 2019 elections under the Hope Democratic Party (HDP).
Owuru, a British-trained lawyer who joined the Nigerian Bar in 1982, claims that he was the rightful winner of the 2019 presidential election. He alleges that his tenure was usurped by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who held office for eight years.
According to Owuru, a previous suit intended to challenge Buhari's presidency was dismissed due to a mix-up in hearing dates at the Supreme Court.
The current suit seeks to disqualify President Tinubu on two primary grounds: alleged non-qualification to hold the office and usurpation of the presidency against Nigerian law.
Owuru accuses Tinubu of forfeiting $460,000 to the United States over alleged involvement in drug trafficking, which he argues disqualifies Tinubu from holding the presidential office.
Furthermore, Owuru claims that Tinubu's alleged role as an active agent of the CIA prohibits him from serving as Nigeria's President.
Owuru is urging the Supreme Court to declare him the winner of the 2019 presidential election and to order his immediate inauguration to reclaim what he describes as his "usurped mandate."
The defendants in the suit include former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and President Tinubu, listed as the 1st to 4th defendants, respectively.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a definitive hearing for the case on December 16. A hearing notice issued by the court reads: “Please kindly take note that SC/CV/667/2023 Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru & Anor VS President Muhammadu Buhari & 3 Ors at the Supreme Court of Nigeria sitting at Abuja is slated for the hearing of Motions on Monday 16/12/2024.”
President Tinubu has been served with the hearing notice through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. It is anticipated that Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, will represent Tinubu in the proceedings.
This legal battle follows a previous ruling by the Court of Appeal, which imposed a fine of N40 million on Owuru for filing a frivolous suit against Tinubu, INEC, and others. It remains unclear whether this fine has been settled prior to the filing of the new suit.
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