By our reporter| The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed an application filed by Emeka Ihedioha challenging its earlier verdict which affirmed Hope Uzodinma as the duly elected governor of Imo State.
A seven-man panel of judges led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, dismissed the suit on Monday.
Six of the judges on the panel agreed with the apex court’s verdict while Justice Chima Nweze gave a dissenting judgment, stressing that the decision ought to be reviewed.
“The finality of the supreme court is entrenched in the constitution. Inherent powers can only be evoked if there is a missing link and that is why sometimes the court could be called upon to dot the i and cross the t,” said Olukayode Ariola who read the lead judgement
“The finality of the supreme court in civil cases is final.”
The judge said any attempt to make the overrule itself would be resisted.
“The verdict of the supreme court is a finality,” the panel held.
But Justice Nweze in his minority ruling, held that the court has the power to overrule itself in a situation where such a judgment was not seen to have met the justice of the case.
According to him, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, misled the court in arriving at the judgment which removed Ihedioha from office after about 10 months.
He held that there is no evidence that Uzodinma satisfied the required spread to have been declared the winner of the election.
He, therefore, told other judges on the panel that the judgment upholding Uzodinma’s victory in the March 9, 2019 poll would continue to haunt the nation’s electoral jurisprudence.
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