Supreme Court has dismissed an application by candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, Southeast Nigeria, Emeka Ihedioha seeking to be issued a certificate of return as rightful Governor of Imo State.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ihedioha in his suit, stated that Governor Hope Uzodinma wasn’t qualified to run in the first place.
Justice Tijjani Abubakar of the apex court his ruling on Tuesday dismissed the application for lacking in merit.
Justice Abubakar described it as unnecessary and vexatious. He further 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).
Ozekhome in the motion considered to be frivolous by the court 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 alleged that 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.
Nevertheless, the apex court dismissed the motion on the ground that it has no jurisdiction to entertain such a motion.
In the ruling, Justice Abubakar held that the request was strange, frivolous, baseless, unwarranted and vexatious.
The Judge further held that the motion was a calculated design to make mockery of the Supreme Court.
