In a significant development, the Supreme Court delivered a verdict on Tuesday, compelling Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, to personally pay a hefty fine of N40 million to the four respondents involved in a case seeking to reinstate Emeka Ihedioha as the governor of Imo State.
The apex court panel didn’t mince words, characterizing Ozekhome’s filed motion as frivolous, vexatious, and irritating. Justice Tijani Abubakar, the deliverer of the ruling, went a step further, ordering Ozekhome to individually shoulder the N40 million fine, distributing it among the Action People’s Party’s (APP) Uche Nnadi, Uche Nwosu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with each receiving N10 million.
Ozekhome’s motion had pursued a consequential order, urging the court to compel INEC to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Ihedioha, thereby enabling him to complete a four-year tenure as the Governor of Imo State. The senior lawyer contended that the incumbent governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, had unlawfully occupied the four years that rightfully belonged to Ihedioha.
Nevertheless, the Supreme Court resolutely held that Ihedioha’s application lacked merit, deeming it unnecessary and vexatious. This ruling solidifies the stance taken in the Supreme Court judgment of January 14, 2020, which nullified Ihedioha’s election and declared Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the rightful governor of Imo State.
