The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered former presidential candidate, Ambrose Owuru to pay a fine of N40 million for filing a frivolous suit seeking to stop the inauguration of President-elect, Bola Tinubu on May 29.
In its judgement, the three-man panel of the court held that Owuru committed gross abuse of the court process by bringing the vexatious case to provoke the respondents. The court considered Owuru’s move to resuscitate the case that was dismissed for want of merit in 2019 by the Supreme Court as an attempt to make the lower courts challenge the apex court’s supremacy.
The court ordered the politician to pay a sum of N10m each to the 1st – 4th defendants – The President, Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Retd.), Attorney General of the Federation, Independent National Electoral Commission and Tinubu.
It should be noted that Owuru’s grievances against the 2019 Presidential Elections were previously dismissed for lacking merit by the Supreme Court.
All in all, the judgement is seen as a message to candidates and politicians to refrain from filing frivolous and vexatious cases before courts.
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