The presidential candidate of the Hope Democratic Party, HDP, in the last election, Chief Ambrose Owuru, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking it to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from organising 2023 presidential election.
Owuru, who was among the four petitioners that went to tribunal to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election, is in his fresh suit seeking an order to restrain INEC from “undertaking or planning any other election into the office of the President”, in 2023.
Owuru and his party, HDP, had in an earlier appeal they litigated up to the Supreme Court, insisted that the Justice Mohammed Garba-led Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, erroneously dismissed a petition they lodged against the return of President Buhari of the All Progressive Congress, APC, as winner of the presidential election that held on February 23, 2019.
They specifically prayed the apex court to sack Buhari on the premise that he emerged through an illegal process.
In the fresh suit, Owuru and his party argued that their suit against Buhari at the Supreme Court was inconclusive.
The plaintiffs argued that the case was fixed outside the 60 days period that was allowed by the law.
Owuru asked the court to declare him the authentic winner of the last presidential poll, as well as, to issue an order for his immediate inauguration to take over from Buhari.
He prayed the court to declare that he is entitled to serve out a tenure of four years after his formal inauguration.
More so, the HDP presidential candidate, aside from asking for Buhari’s immediate removal from office, equally prayed the court to compel him to refund all salaries, allowances and emoluments he collected while he unlawfully stayed in office as President.
Owuru also asked the court to give an order that salaries, allowances and emoluments be paid to him from May 29, 2019, when he ought to have been sworn in, till date.
Cited as 1st to 3rd respondents in the matter were President Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, and INEC.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.
