On Tuesday, the Supreme Court imposed a fine of N40 million on human rights activists and constitutional lawyer Mike Ozekhome for filing a frivolous motion before the court over the Imo governorship tussle decided in 2019.

In a ruling by Justice Tijani Abubakar, the apex court ordered the lawyer to personally pay the N40 million fine to the four respondents he dragged before the court.

Mr Abubakar ruled that the request was strange, frivolous, baseless, unwarranted, vexatious and irritating. He further held that the motion was a calculated design to demonize the Supreme Court.

Mr Ozekhome was fined for a motion before the court seeking to revalidate the suit that removed Emeka Ihedioha as Imo governor in 2019.

The senior lawyer would give the N40 million to the Action People’s Party, Uche Nnadi, Uche Nwosu and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

In the motion considered frivolous by the apex court, Mr Ozekhome had asked for a consequential order to compel INEC to issue a fresh certificate of return to Mr Ihedioha to enable him to spend a four-year tenure as Imo governor, claiming that Governor Hope Uzodimma unlawfully spent the four years Mr Ihedioha ought to spend.

Among others, Mr Ozekhome, in the motion, claimed that the All Progressives Congress had no candidate in the 2019 Imo governorship election.

However, the apex court dismissed the motion on the ground that it had no jurisdiction to entertain such a motion.

(NAN)