The presidential candidate of the defunct Hope Democratic Party (HDP), during the 2019 general election, Ambrose Owuru has been fined N40m by the Court of Appeal, Abuja, for filing what it described as a frivolous suit seeking to stop the inauguration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu on May 29
Owuru, who had challenged the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, again asked the court to halt the planned inauguration of the winner of the 2023 presidential election, Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), claiming he won the 2019 polls which matter against Buhari is still pending at the Supreme Court
But the Court ordered Owuru to pay the sum of N10m each to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Tinubu.
Justice Jamil Tukur, who read the lead judgment of the three man panel of the court, held that Owuru embarked on a gross abuse of court process by filing a frivolous, suit to provoke the respondents.
The Court of Appeal held that the grievances of Owuru against the 2019 presidential election was not only strange, but uncalled for because the grievances had been pursued up to Supreme Court and was dismissed for want of merit.
Justice Tukur said that the action of Owuru to resuscitate the case that died since 2019 at the Supreme Court, was aimed at making the lower courts to go on collision course with supremacy of the Apex Court.