By Stephen Simon
For High Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru, the courtroom had become the final battleground in a political struggle he claimed cost him his place in Nigeria’s history. However, on May 15, 2026, the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, brought the long-running dispute to an end.
The regional court dismissed Owuru’s suit against Nigeria, ruling that he failed to prove his fundamental rights were violated during litigation arising from the 2023 presidential election.
Owuru, leader of the Hope Democratic Party, had approached the ECOWAS Court arguing that he was unlawfully denied victory in the election and shut out of justice by Nigeria’s judicial system. In the suit marked ECW/CCJ/APP/21/25, he contended that despite filing an appeal and an application for summary judgment before the Supreme Court, his case was ignored and later dismissed without a fair hearing.
He further informed the court that after petitioning judicial authorities—leading to a reconstitution of the panel handling the matter—the new panel still failed to address the core issues he raised. According to Owuru, this development denied him justice and violated his rights to a fair hearing and to participate in governance, as guaranteed under Articles 7 and 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Nigeria rejected the allegations, maintaining that Owuru neither won the election nor suffered any denial of justice. The Federal Government argued that the Supreme Court proceedings followed due process and insisted that the applicant voluntarily withdrew his appeal after being given an opportunity to pursue it.
Delivering the judgment, the ECOWAS Court held that while it had jurisdiction to hear complaints about alleged human rights violations, Owuru failed to present credible and sufficient evidence to support his claims. The court noted that after his complaints, a fresh judicial panel was constituted and proceedings rescheduled, affording him another chance to pursue his case.
Regarding his claim of being denied the right to participate in governance, the court stressed that it does not determine election winners but only examines human rights violations connected to electoral processes. The judges ultimately held that Owuru provided no verifiable evidence showing that he won the presidential election or that he was unlawfully excluded from governance.
Consequently, the court dismissed all reliefs sought by the applicant, including his request for interim measures, and ordered each party to bear its own costs.
The judgment was delivered by a three-member panel led by Hon. Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, alongside Hon. Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma and Hon. Justice Edward Amoako Asante.
