Supreme Court Dismisses Emeka Ihedioha’s Suit Against Governor Hope Uzodinma

 

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.

In a ruling read by Justice Tijjani Abubakar on Tuesday, the apex court 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 Uzodinma 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, Uzodinma 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 and vexatious.

He further held that the motion was a calculated design to make mockery of the Supreme Court.