President Bola Ahmed Tinubu now faces a Supreme Court challenge, as allegations emerge of his unlawful assumption of office amidst an ongoing lawsuit against the 2023 presidential election, as reported by The Guardian.

Albert Ambrose Owuru, a constitutional lawyer and 2019 presidential candidate, leads the charge in this legal battle. He claims that Tinubu’s inauguration as the winner of the 2023 presidential poll violates the doctrine of lis pendens, which prevents interference in matters under judicial review.

Challenging Tinubu’s election victory, Owuru considers the election both futile and illegally self-serving. He believes that Tinubu’s decision to participate in the inauguration, with a Supreme Court suit (No. SC/667/2023) still pending, directly affronts the apex court.

Owuru and the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), acting as appellants in the ongoing Supreme Court case, have named former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and Tinubu as respondents.

Owuru, who competed against Buhari in the 2019 election, now asserts his right to the presidency, contradicting INEC’s declaration. He seeks the Supreme Court’s recognition as the 2019 election winner, a case to which Tinubu has recently become a party.

In Owuru’s most recent legal action, he served a motion on Tinubu through Wole Olanipekun’s chambers. He aims to secure a Supreme Court order that bars Tinubu and the other respondents from using the federation account, pending the outcome of the constitutional questions about the 2023 election.

This legal battle poses a significant challenge for President Tinubu, underscoring ongoing issues with the legitimacy and transparency of Nigeria’s electoral system.