Rivers: For aligning with Atiku, Omehia loses status of ex-governor, to refund N696m

Governor Nyesom Wike and Sir Celestine Omehia at a cultural event.

Governor Nyesom Wike and Sir Celestine Omehia at a cultural event.

By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

In an obvious move aimed at punishing him for aligning with the camp of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the acrimony with Governor Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday moved against for Governor Celestine Omehia.

The lawmakers, in purported implementation of the ruling of Supreme Court which sacked Omehia from office in 2008 has asked Governor Wike to de-recognise Omehia as former governor of Rivers state.

Omehia, a cousin of former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was Governor of Rivers State for about six months until Supreme Court declared Amaechi as the Governor and sacked him.

The Rivers State House of Assembly had passed a resolution to back recognition of Omehia as a former governor of the state after Amaechi’s exit from power in 2015.

Consequently, Wike took over from Amaechi as Governor, organised an elaborate ceremony alongside leaders of PDP in Rivers to mark the recognition of Omehia as one of the former governors of the state.

For one, Wike had led others to hang the photograph of Omehia at Government’s House Executive chambers to symbolically recognize him as former Governor, despite the fact that he was sacked by the Apex Court.

Also, all the rights and privileges attached to the office of a former Governor was restored to Omehia with the resumption of the payment of his full pensions and other privileges.

As part of Wike’s administration to immortalize Omehia as former Governor, Wike renamed the very popular road,”SARS’ road in Rukpowu in Obio-Akpor local government area of the state “Sir Celestine Omehia Road”.

But in a motion on Thursday, the Leader of the House and member representing Obio-Akpor Constituency 1, Martin Amaewhule said the said the lawmakers did not have a copy of the ruling of the Supreme Court as at the time they passed the motion to recognise Omehia as former governor.

Subsequently, he presented four prayers in the motion, including asking Omehia to refund all money received from the state government since he was recognised as a former governor of the state.

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The lawmakers voted in favour of the four resolutions.

Specifically, by the resolutions, the House of Assembly said Omehia will no longer be addressed as “His Excellency.”

He is also to refund monetary entitlements and pension paid to him up to September 2022. All monies to be refunded within Seven days.

Thus, Omehia is given seven days to refund 600million naira in benefit and another 96.5million naira pension received so far.

He is also asked to stop using the tittle, “HIS EXCELLENCY” and GSSRS, which is a tittle from the state honour that is due an incumbent or a former Governor.

Flash Back: Governor Nyesom Wike about to hoist Sir Celestine Omehia portrait as former Governor of Rivers State in the Executive Chambers of Government House Port Harcourt.

In a swift response, the Governor said he is going to sign the resolution of the House of Assembly into law.

Kelvin Ebiri, the Special Assistant on Media to Wike in a statement said, “The cancellation of the recognition is sequel to the resolution of the Rivers State House of Assembly adopted on Thursday, 6th October, 2022 to derecognise Sir Celestine Omehia as a former governor of the State.

“The signing will take place in Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday, 7th October, 2022 by 12 noon.

However, analysts who spoke to this magazine said the lawmakers are only doing the bidding of Governor Wike who had vowed to deal with members of PDP in Rivers associating with former vice president Atiku.

The Governor had also meted the same treatment to Chinyere Igwe, a federal lawmaker representing Port Harcourt Constituency 2 another loyalist of Atiku.

Wike, used his proxies to shut down the petrol station owned by the lawmaker in Diobu area of Port Harcourt for alleged involvement in illegal oil bunkering.

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