TENSION In ASO- ROCK! Big Shock As Supreme Court Receives Unexpected Directive To Sack Tinubu; SEE Details
Chief Ambrose Owuru, former presidential candidate and leader of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), has petitioned the Supreme Court to remove President Bola Tinubu from office, citing concerns over his alleged foreign ties and legal entanglements.
Owuru, who ran as the presidential candidate for the HDP in the 2019 elections, filed the case directly with the apex court, asking for the disqualification of President Tinubu. The former candidate argued that Tinubu’ s alleged role as an active agent of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States renders him unfit to hold the office of the President. Owuru also pointed to a past legal matter where Tinubu was reported to have forfeited $460, 000 to the U. S. government in a drug- related case, further claiming that this situation undermines his eligibility to serve as president.
In his petition, Owuru referenced Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution, amended, urging the court to invoke it and remove Tinubu for being allegedly under the influence of foreign powers. Additionally, the case, marked SC/CV/667/2023, includes former President Muhammadu Buhari as a defendant. Owuru is challenging the legitimacy of Buhari’ s tenure, accusing him of unlawfully usurping the 2019 mandate, which he contends he rightfully won.
Owuru, a British- trained lawyer, alleged that the Supreme Court had dismissed his petition challenging Buhari’ s presidency due to a technical issue involving discrepancies in hearing dates. According to Owuru, his valid claim was disregarded, and Buhari was allowed to serve an illegal eight- year term. Owuru is seeking a ruling that would declare him the rightful winner of the 2019 election and order his immediate inauguration as President, effectively restoring what he claims to be his ” stolen” mandate.
Other defendants in the suit include the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Justice, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In addition to calling for the disqualification of Tinubu, Owuru has asked the court to compel Buhari to refund all salary and allowances he collected during his presidency, which Owuru argues were obtained unlawfully.
The Supreme Court is set to hear the case on Monday, December 16, 2024. The court issued a hearing notice confirming that the motion would be heard, and both parties were instructed to appear before the court. The notice was signed by Ukor Michael Akan, the Hon. Chief Registrar of the court.
Owuru’ s legal battles are not new. In May 2023, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal fined him N40 million for filing what the court described as a ” frivolous” suit to prevent Tinubu from taking office as President. Owuru’ s legal challenges to the 2019 and 2023 elections have attracted considerable attention. Prior to his recent petition, Owuru attempted to block Buhari’ s swearing- in after the 2019 election, claiming that INEC had manipulated the electoral process. He alleged that INEC had initially postponed the election scheduled for February 16, 2019, and rescheduled it for February 23, 2019, a move he claimed was aimed at helping Buhari win.
Owuru further argued that he had won a referendum conducted by both local and international organizations before the official election. According to his claims, the referendum showed he had garnered over 50 million votes, a number he contends exceeded the votes of all other presidential candidates, including Buhari.
In response to his claims, Owuru’ s petitions have faced setbacks in the legal system. After his petition challenging Buhari’ s victory was dismissed, Owuru moved forward with his attempts to prevent Tinubu’ s swearing- in, citing similar concerns about electoral manipulation. However, the appellate court refused to stop the inauguration of the President- elect in 2023.
As the legal battle moves to the Supreme Court, Owuru’ s request for Tinubu’ s disqualification is shaping up to be a high- profile case with potential implications for Nigeria’ s political landscape. The outcome of the case could alter the course of the country’ s political future, depending on how the court responds to the claims presented. Legal experts are closely watching the proceedings, especially given the political stakes involved and the potential for a landmark ruling on presidential eligibility.
