The Supreme Court yesterday,  imposed a N40 million fine on the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, for submitting motions deemed frivolous, vexatious, and irritating.

The motions pertained to the Imo State governorship dispute settled in 2019. Justice Tijani Abubakar ruled that Ozekhome must personally pay the fine to four respondents: the Action People’s Party (APP), Uche Nnadi, Uche Nwosu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The contested motion sought a consequential order compelling INEC to issue a fresh certificate of return to Emeka Ihedioha for a four-year tenure as Imo governor.

In the motion, Ozekhome argued that the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacked a candidate in the 2019 Imo governorship election, contending that Uzodimma should not have been declared governor under the APC banner. The Supreme Court, however, rejected the motion, citing a lack of jurisdiction. Justice Abubakar, in the ruling, deemed the request as unusual, frivolous, baseless, unwarranted, vexatious, and irritating. He emphasized that the motion appeared to be a deliberate effort to discredit the integrity of the Supreme Court.