Supreme Court Slams N40m Fine Against Mike Ozekhome

The Supreme Court has ordered a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mike Ozekhome to pay the sum of N40 million as fine.

The fine was slammed against the prominent lawyer on Tuesday over the 2019 Imo state governorship case in which Ezekhome was accused by the apex court of filing a frivolous, vexatious and irritating motion.

Justice Tijani Abubakar ordered the lawyer to personally pay the N40M fine to four respondents he dragged before the Court in the motion seeking to revalidate the suit that removed Emeka Ihedioha as Governor of Imo State in 2019.

Ozekhome had argued that the incumbent Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma unlawfully spent the four years which Mr Ihedioha ought to spend.

Naija News reports that those to be paid are Action People’s Party (APP), Uche Nnadi, Uche Nwosu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Earlier, this platform had reported that the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, dismissed a suit filed by Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State.

Ihedioha had approached the apex court seeking to be issued a certificate of return as the rightful Governor of Imo State.

Ihedioha claimed that the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma wasn’t qualified to run in the first place.

Ihedioha and Uzodinma contested against each other in the governorship election held in 2019.

Uzodinma contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while Ihedioha was the candidate of the PDP.

The PDP candidate was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Supreme Court, however, declared Uzodinma as the authentic winner of the election.