Supreme Court imposes N40m fine on well-known SAN

Mike Ozekhome was fined SAN N40 million by the Supreme Court for bringing an unnecessary, bothersome, and pointless motion regarding the governorship of Imo state in 2019.

According to Obasanjo News24, Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed an application to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, December 5, asking to be granted a certificate of return as the legitimate governor of Imo state. The application was denied.

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The sum was fined to Ozekhome, Ihedioha’s attorney, for filing a request at the Apex Court to uphold the lawsuit that ousted him from office as Imo State governor in 2019.

Justice Tijani Abubakar ruled that the senior attorney must personally pay the N40 million fine to the four defendants he brought before the court.

The Action People’s Party (APP), Uche Nnadi, Uche Nwosu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are the parties that need to be paid.

Ozekhome had requested a consequential order to force INEC to grant Ihedioha a new Certificate of Return so he may serve as Imo Governor for four years. The court deemed this move to be frivolous.

He was upset because Hope Uzodinma, the current governor, had illegally squandered the four years that Mr. Ihedioha was supposed to serve.

In his application, Ozekhome argued that since the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not field a candidate in the 2019 Imo governorship race, Uzodinmma was not entitled to be appointed governor under the APC’s platform.

The Apex Court, however, denied the motion, stating that it lacked the authority to consider it.

The request was deemed unusual, frivolous, unfounded, unjustified, vexatious, and irritating by Justice Abubakar in her ruling.

He further maintained that the move was a premeditated attempt to discredit the Supreme Court.