By Vivian Okejeme Abuja
Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court Abuja, has thrown away a suit by a former presidential candidate of Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru, seeking to sack President Muhammadu Buhari from office.
Justice Ekwo, in his judgment held that the suit constituted a gross abuse of court process, statute barred and was an affront to the Supremacy of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Besides, Justice Ekwo held that the suit was baseless, frivolous, irritating and vexatious in the entirety.
Owuru, a presidential candidate in the 2019 election on the platform of HDP instituted the legal action against Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asking the electoral body to declare the presidential seat vacant and swear him in as the authentic winner of that election.
He further prayed the court to determine the legality or otherwise of the INEC’S decision in 2019 during which it shifted the election from Feb. 16 to Feb. 23, 2019.
He claimed that INEC acted against the constitution in the illegal and unlawful way and manner the presidential poll was shifted and that declaration of Buhari as winner of the unlawful act should be declared null and void and of no effect.
According to him, his petition at the Supreme Court was unjustly dismissed following his absence in the apex court due to discrepancies in the hearing dates conveyed to him.
He therefore, prayed the court to remove Buhari and declare him (Owuru) the authentic President and that Buhari should be compelled to refund all monies he collected as salaries, emoluments and security votes.
Consequently, he prayed the court to order his inauguration for a four-year tenure of office upon removal of Buhari from office and stop INEC from conducting the 2023 election.
