Fresh disqualification suit: Supreme Court decides Tinubu’s fate December 16

The Supreme Court will on Monday, December 16, determine the fate of President Bola Tinubu in a fresh suit seeking his removal from office as Nigeria’s leader.

The new suit marked SC/CV/667/2023 is praying the apex court to sack Tinubu on two major grounds of alleged non-qualification to hold office as Nigeria’s President and usurpation of the same office against the law of the country.

A candidate in the 2019 presidential election on the platform of Hope Democratic Party, HDP, Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru, filed the fresh suit directly at the Supreme Court.

Defendants in the suit are former President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Tinubu as 1st to 4th defendants, respectively.

Owuru, a British-trained lawyer who was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, is insisting that he won the 2019 presidential poll but that his tenure was allegedly usurped by Buhari for eight years.

He claimed that his suit at the Supreme Court which would have kicked Buhari out of office was technically jettisoned by the apex court due to mix-up in the hearing dates.

On the other hand, he prayed the apex court to disqualify Tinubu on account of forfeiture of $460,000 to the United States of America over alleged involvement in drug trafficking related offence.

Besides the alleged forfeiture of the sum in relation to drug trafficking, the former presidential candidate also accused Tinubu of being an active agent of CIA, a position he said, prohibits Tinubu from holding the office of the President of Nigeria.

Specifically, he prayed the Supreme Court to invoke section 157 of the 1999 Constitution to oust Tinubu from office on account of being under the control of foreign authorities.

Upon his declaration as winner of the 2019 presidential poll and disqualification of Tinubu for not being qualified to hold the office of Nigeria’s president, Owuru is asking the Supreme Court to pronounce him as Nigeria’s President and as well order his immediate inauguration to reclaim his usurped mandate

Meanwhile the apex court has fixed Monday, December 16, for definite hearing into the suit.

The hearing notice in respect of the new suit reads: “Please kindly take note that SC/CV/667/2023 Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru & Anor VS President Muhammadu Buhari & 3 Ors at the Supreme Court of Nigeria sitting at Abuja is slated for the hearing of Motions on Monday 16/12/2024.

“Thanks, Ukor Michael Akan, for: the Hon. Chief Registrar.”

Meanwhile, Tinubu has been served with the hearing notice through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Legal giant, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, has been engaged to defend Tinubu in the suit on Monday.

It will be recalled that the Court of Appeal had at one time imposed a fine of N40 million on Owuru, to be paid to Tinubu, INEC and others, for filing a suit against them.

Our correspondent could not ascertain if the fine had been paid before Owuru filed the new suit.