Suspense As Supreme Court Hears Imo, Zamfara Gov Polls Review

The Supreme Court will today (Monday) hear the applications seeking the review of its judgments which upset the outcome of the last governorship election in Imo State as well as the results of the entire elections in Zamfara State.

The Peoples Democratic Party’s Emeka Ihedioha is, by his application filed on February 5, 2020, seeking the review of the apex court’s February 13, 2020 judgment which removed him after seven months of being inaugurated as the Imo State governor.

The apex court, in the disputed verdict, installed the All Progressives Congress’ Hope Uzodinma, as a replacement.

Also, the APC and the faction of the party in Zamfara State, led by former Governor Abdulaziz Yari, had filed another application for the review of a May 24, 2019 judgment which nullified the victory of all of the party’s candidates at the 2019 general elections held in Zamfara State.

It is unclear if the applicants would take a last-minute step to withdraw the applications on the account of the Supreme Court’s anger poured on two senior lawyers, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), and Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), for filing similar applications for the review of the February 13, 2020 judgment of the apex court on Bayelsa State.

In the apex court’s ruling on February 26, dismissing the applications, each of the legal giants was fined record N30m for filing the applications “aimed at desecrating the sanctity of the court.”

Hearing in respect of the Imo and Zamfara cases was stalled on February 18 due to preliminary issues of filing and service of court documents.

The separate panels, both of which were headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, then adjourned the hearing till Monday, by which time the issues are expected to have been sorted out.