By Alex Enumah:
The Supreme Court on Friday, struck out request by a People’s Democratic Party (PDP’s) factional governorship aspirant in Ebonyi State, Senator Obinna Ogba for a review of its final judgment.
The Apex Court presided over by Justice Amina Augie struck out the request following the dramatic withdrawal of a motion to that effect by Chief Paul Erokoro, SAN who was counsel to Ogba.
In the judgment delivered on September 14, 2022, the apex court had upheld Chief Chukwuma Ifeanyi as the governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2023 elections in Ebonyi State.
However, at Friday’s proceedings, Erokoro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria had attempted to argue an application seeking a review of the September 14 judgment which recognised Ifeanyi as the PDP governorship candidate.
But, following the mood of the court towards the request, the senior lawyer beat a retreat and dramatically withdrew processes filed on behalf of his client when it became apparent that the apex court would not yield to the request.
Following the withdrawal, Justice Amina Augie struck out the application.
Before the withdrawal, Ifeanyi’s lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, had vehemently opposed the request of the factional governorship candidate on the grounds that it constituted a gross abuse of the Supreme Court.
Uche had prayed the court to uphold its finality policy as the highest Court in the land, adding that any attempt to grant the request of Ogba will not augur well for the judiciary.
The senior lawyer pleaded with the apex court to turn down the request on the grounds of being frivolous, unmeritorious, and a strange invitation that must not be honoured by the court.
The Supreme Court had on September 14, 2022 in its final judgment in an appeal marked SC/CV/939/2022 affirmed Ifeanyi as the authentic PDP governorship candidate having emerged from a primary election conducted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
The court had struck out an appeal on the grounds that the issue of nomination of candidates for elective office is an internal affair of political parties and that no court has jurisdiction to entertain it.
However, dissatisfied, Joseph Obinna Ogba returned to the same court seeking a review of the September 14 judgment but was withdrawn by his counsel.
