In Abuja on Tuesday, the Supreme Court imposed a N40 million fine on Chief Mike Ozekhome, a human rights activist and Constitutional lawyer.
The fine was levied due to his submission of a frivolous, vexatious, and irritating motion regarding the Imo Governorship tussle resolved in 2019.
Chief Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) with over 42 years at the Nigerian Bar, faced a substantial penalty for presenting a motion at the Apex Court attempting to revalidate the case that led to the removal of Emeka Ihedioha as Governor of Imo State in 2019.
As per the ruling by Justice Tijani Abubakar, the Senior lawyer was directed to personally pay the N40 million fine to four respondents he brought before the Court.
These respondents include 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.
His grouse was that the incumbent governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma unlawfully spent the four years that Ihedioha ought to spend.
Among others, Ozekhome in the 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.
