A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to sack Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma.
Justice Okon Abang dismissed the suit in a ruling on Tuesday after the plaintiff applied to withdraw it on the grounds that issues submitted for determination were already before the Supreme Court.
Justice Abang described the suit as a mere waste of the court’s time and awarded cost at N500,000 each in favour of 1st, 2nd and 7th defendants.
The candidate of the Reform and Advancement Party (RAP) in the last governorship election in Imo State, Kingdom Nnamdi Okere, had filed a suit asking the court to stop Uzodinma from further acting in the capacity of governor.
The plaintiff had prayed the court to among others, interpret the provision of section 177(c) of the Constitution, vice-a-vice the circumstances relating to Uzodinma’s emergence as governor.
Although parties in the suit have all filed the processes, they were all represented in court on Tuesday, with the exception of the Action Alliance (AA).
On Tuesday, plaintiff’s lawyer, Ifeoma Ogufo, informed the court that she has applied to discontinue the suit and that the defendants had been served.
Lawyers to the defendants, including M.A. Aguda (for Uzodima) did not oppose the application but described the suit as a distraction and asked the court to award costs against the plaintiff.
