Candidate of Hope Democratic Party (HPD) in the 2019 presidential election, High Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru has proceeded to the Supreme Court, insisting on retrieving his “mandate” as winner of the election.
Owuru alleged that he was the winner of the election but was denied his mandate by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which rather returned former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Hearing his appeal last week, the appellate court slammed Owuru with a fine of N40 million for filing a “frivolous suit” to stop the inauguration of Bola Tinubu as President.
Reading the judgement of a three-man panel, Justice Jamil Tukur held that Owuru committed a gross abuse of the court process by filing a frivolous, vexatious and irritating suit to provoke the respondents.
Owuru, who filed the suit in April challenging the outcome of the 2019 elections, prayed the court to declare the president’s seat vacant and swear him in as the authentic winner.
Meanwhile, in a statement signed on his behalf by Alhaji Anwal Ibrahim and made available to newsmen on Thursday, titled ‘Re: Hasty Swearing In Ceremony and the Burial of Democracy,’ Owuru claimed that he was constitutionally supposed to be sworn in as next president after Buhari’s administration, having won the 2019 election.
According to him, “The adjudged constitutional winner of 2019 presidential election whose adjudged victory and acquired rights thereof have maintained he remains the authentic and rightful person to be sworn in on the exit of the former president Muhamadu Buhari, the man he has been in court with over mandate usurpation since 2019 presidential election.
The appeal before the Supreme Court is centered on the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal said to have been delivered per incuriam and without jurisdiction as only designed and focused on peripheral issues of inauguration to divert from the real issues and create a leeway for Bola Tinubu’s swearing in the face of challenges and uncertified victory still before the courts.
“In the relief sought before the Supreme Court the respondents, particularly the newly joined fourth responded, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is sought to be retrained from interfering or operating the federation accounts until the authentic and certified winner emerges at the Supreme Court in the interest and development of rule of law in Nigeria and Africa at large.
“It is our believe that Nigeria being the most populous black nation deserve better and to be governed by laws as it is looked upto, to set a better example and conform with the universally acceptable democratic standard of swearing in only congress/ parliament or court certified presidential candidate victory to remove the toga of a corrupt and undemocratic nation as viewed outside the shores of Nigeria.
“The swearing in ceremony of May 29, 2023 of an uncertified challenged victory based on already scorned and dismissed as worthless, certificate of return by the same electoral body accused and joined in court as part of the rigged election, is an insane and shameful glorification of an universally adjudged rigged election by both international and local observers which now portrays our dear Nigeria in bad light and a lawless country, no matter the usual narrow views of sycophants who are in the increase in their numbers after every rigged election in Nigeria at all level.
“We call on all Nigerians to be mindful of the dire situation our great nation is facing today and resolve to work to save it and its image, home and abroad.”
