The Supreme Court on Friday, struck out a request by a governorship aspirant in Ebonyi State, Senator Joseph Ogba to review its final judgment of September 14, 2022 which upheld Odii Ifeanyi as the governorship candidate of the PDP for the state in 2023 elections.
The panel of Justices of 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.
During the proceedings on Friday, Erokoro had attempted to argue for a prayer for the Supreme Court to review its earlier judgment which recognized Ifeanyi as the PDP governorship candidate.
However, following the mood of the Court, to the request, the Senior Lawyer dramatically withdrew processes filed on behalf of his clients when it became apparent that the Apex Court would not yield to the request.
Following the withdrawal, the court struck out the request.
Before the withdrawal, counsel to Ifeanyi, 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, who led a team of senior Lawyers in the matter, 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.
He 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, in its judgment in an appeal SC/CV/939/2022 affirmed Chukwuma Odii Ifeanyi as the authentic PDP governorship candidate having emerged from a primary election conducted by NWC of the party.
The Court struck out the 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.
Dissatisfied, Obinna Ogba returned to the same court seeking a review of the September 14 judgment, but was withdrawn by his counsel.