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Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has incurred a ₦40 million fine from the Supreme Court for submitting a frivolous, vexatious, and irritating motion related to the 2019 Imo state governorship.
The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, December 5, rejected an application from Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who sought a certificate of return as the legitimate governor of Imo state, as reported by The Eastern Updates.
Ozekhome, the legal representative of Ihedioha, was fined for presenting a motion before the Apex Court aimed at revalidating the lawsuit that ousted Ihedioha as the governor of Imo state in 2019.
According to Justice Tijani Abubakar’s ruling, the senior lawyer is instructed to personally cover the N40 million fine owed to the four respondents implicated in the court case.
Among those entitled to receive the payment are the Action People’s Party (APP), Uche Nnadi, Uche Nwosu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Read also: Kanu Never Advocated For Sit-at-Home – Lawyer Ozekhome
In the motion considered to be frivolous by the Court, Ozekhome had asked the Court for a consequential order to compel INEC to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Ihedioha to enable him to spend a four-year tenure as Imo Governor.
His grouse was that the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodinma unlawfully spent the four years that Mr Ihedioha ought to spend.
Ozekhome’s motion claimed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had no candidate in the 2019 Imo governorship election, hence, Uzodinmma ought not to have been made governor on the platform of APC.
However, the Apex Court dismissed the motion on the ground that it has no jurisdiction to entertain such a motion.Justice Abubakar held in the ruling that the request was strange, frivolous, baseless, unwarranted, vexatious, and irritating.
He further held that the motion was a calculated design to demonize the Supreme Court.
