Justice P. A Rimgim of the Federal High court, sitting in Owerri, on Tuesday, struck out a suit seeking to stop the May 29 inauguration of the Imo state governor-elect, Emeka Ihedioha.
Rimgim, said that the plaintiff, the Governorship candidate of Democratic Alliance (DA) in the 2019 general election in Imo state, Clifford Eze was not competent to file the suit as it was a post-election matter.
In striking the matter out, the jurist said that he lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
The judge awarded N5m cost against the plaintiff.
Defence Counsel, Emeka Ihejirika, reacting to the judgment, said that, apart from lack of jurisdiction, court processes were also abused by the plaintiffs.
According to him, “It is a primary knowledge that the regular court does not entertain post election matters. The plaintiffs are already at the tribunal and the same things they brought up for argument at the tribunal are the same things they brought to the regular court.”
“Apart from the federal high court lacking the jurisdiction to entertain the suit, it was an abuse of court processes. That was why the court awarded N5m cost against the plaintiffs. It is as simple as that.”
Reacting to the judgment, Ihedioha said that it was victory for the people of the state.
Speaking through his Media Aide, Chibuike Onyeukwu, Ihedioha said that he was ready to work with everybody, including the plaintiffs and members of the opposition parties, to move the state forward.
