Frivolous, Vexatious, Irritating Motion: Supreme Court Slams N40m Fine Against SAN, Mike Ozekhome

MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN 

A fine of N40m has been slammed against a human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mike Ozekhome, for filing a frivolous, vexatious and irritating motion in respect of the Imo State governorship election in 2019.

Specifically, the fine was hit against the SAN by the Supreme Court of Nigeria for bringing a motion seeking to revalidate the suit that removed Emeka Ihedioha as Governor of Imo State in 2019. 

Ozekhome was particularly ordered in a ruling handed down by Justice Tijani Abubakar to personally pay the N40m fine to four respondents he had dragged 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 his motion considered to be frivolous, Ozekhome had prayed to the Supreme Court for a consequential order compelling the INEC to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Ihedioha to enable him to spend a four-year tenure as Imo Governor.

The SAN had hinged his reason on the ground that the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodinma, unlawfully spent the four years that Ihedioha ought to have spent.

Ozekhome further claimed that the APC had no candidate in the 2019 Imo Governorship election, hence, Uzodinmma ought not to have been made governor on the platform of the APC.

However, the Apex Court dismissed the motion on the ground that it has no jurisdiction to entertain such a motion.

In his ruling, Justice Abubakar declared that the request was strange, frivolous, baseless, unwarranted, vexatious and irritating, adding that the motion was a calculated design to demonise the Supreme Court.

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