The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Imo State seeking to be issued a certificate of return as rightful Governor of Imo State, stating that Governor Hope Uzodinma wasn’t qualified to run in the first place.
Justice Tijani Abubakar in a ruling on Tuesday, dismissed the application for lacking in merit, describing it as unnecessary and vexatious and such awarded the cost of N40 million against Mike Ozekhome for bringing the matter before the court.
Those to be paid are the Action People’s Party (APP), Uche Nnadi, Uche Nwosu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
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 spend a four year tenure as Imo Governor.
He said that Senator Hope Uzodimma unlawfully spent the four years which Ihedioha ought to spend.
In the motion, Ozekhome claimed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had no candidate in the 2019 Imo Governorship election, hence, Uzodimma ought not to have been made governor on the platform of APC.
The apex court however, 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 and vexatious
He further held that the motion was a calculated design to make mockery of the Supreme Court.
Some of the Counsels and parties speak on the ruling of the apex court.
Track up, Mike Ozehkome, Counsel to the Appellant, Alhasan Umar (SAN), Counsel to Inec Okechukwu Akholisha, Attorney General, Imo State, sound 1 back to back
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