The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Thursday, declined to stop the swearing-in of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on May 29, even as it slammed N40million fine against the appellant.
The court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel, described as frivolous, the appeal, which was brought before it by a former presidential candidate of the defunct Hope Democratic Party, HDP, Chief Ambrose Owuru, who’s a lawyer by training.
It ordered the appellant to pay damages to the tune of N10m, to each of the respondents in the appeal.
Cited as 1st to 4th respondents in the matter, were; President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as well as the President-elect, Tinubu.
Delivering the lead judgement in the matter, Justice Jamil Tukur, held that the erstwhile presidential candidate, Owuru, engaged in gross abuse of the judicial process.
The appellate court held that the “strange” suit he filed to stop Tinubu’s inauguration as President, was not only vexatious but all aimed to irritate the respondents.
The court held that issues Chief Owuru raised against Tinubu’s swearing-in, bordered on the presidential election that held since 2019, which it noted was previously dismissed by the Supreme Court for want of merit.
It held that the attempt by the appellants to resurrect the case that died since 2019, was aimed at pushing the lower courts to embark on a collision course with the Supreme Court.
It, therefore, dismissed the appeal and awarded punitive damages against the appellant.
