The Supreme Court has dismissed a legal case seeking the removal of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu based on allegations of links to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and past drug-related issues. The suit, filed by Ambrose Owuru, a former presidential candidate of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) in the 2019 elections, was deemed “frivolous” by the court.
A five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji delivered the unanimous verdict on Monday. The court fined Owuru ₦5 million for wasting judicial resources and issued a warning to the Supreme Court Registry to reject any further frivolous filings from the plaintiff.
Owuru alleged that President Tinubu was an agent of the CIA and unfit to lead Nigeria. He also cited Tinubu’s 1993 forfeiture of $460,000 in a U.S. drug-related case as grounds for disqualification. Owuru called on the court to invoke Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution and declare Tinubu unqualified to serve as president.
The case was not Owuru’s first legal battle over election matters. He had previously attempted to halt former President Muhammadu Buhari’s inauguration after the 2019 elections, claiming that he, not Buhari, was the rightful winner of a referendum he said was held before the elections. Owuru alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) manipulated the 2019 election results and that Buhari unlawfully held power for eight years.
In Monday’s hearing, Owuru represented himself in court, donning his lawyer’s robe to argue his case. He maintained that Tinubu’s alleged disqualification should lead to him being declared president and sworn in immediately.
The court dismissed these claims, reinforcing earlier rulings by the Court of Appeal, which in May 2023 imposed a ₦40 million fine on Owuru for filing another “frivolous” suit to stop Tinubu’s swearing-in.
