Despite the massive mixed reactions trailing the passing of the motion by the Rivers State House of Assembly Thursday, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has Friday proceeded to sign the instrument giving legal backing to the motion derecognising Sir Celestine Omehia as a former governor of Rivers state.
This the All Progressives Congress APC, the leading opposition party in the state has condemned the move by the assembly and demanded an apology from the assembly for their earlier disregard for the Supreme Court judgment on the matter.
With the signing of the instrument, the recognition that accorded Sir Celestine Omehia the status of a former governor of the state, with accruable rights and benefits is now cancelled.
Governor Wike signed the instrument at the Executive Council Chambers of the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday when it was presented to him by the State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Professor Zacchaeus Adangor.
Wike at the event disclosed that he had always respected resolutions from the State Assembly and never had any reason to disagree with them, saying; “Yesterday, I received a resolution from the Assembly de-recognising Sir Celestine Omehia, who had enjoyed the privileges of a former governor of the state.
“But you will recollect that sometime in 2007/2008, my predecessor, His Excellency Chibuike Amaechi did not recognise Sir Celestine Omehia as a former governor of the state.
“When we came on board, there were issues and the assembly felt that having served as governor, he should enjoy the status of a former governor. I’ve always respected the resolutions of the assembly. I’ve never one day disagreed with anything the assembly has sent to me”, he added
Wike pointed to the reasons adduced by the leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly that the strength of the information they have now had compelled them to reverse what they did in 2015.
He noted that is the hallmark of leadership, being able to acknowledge that there was an error in the course of administration and having the courage to correct such an error.
The governor explained; “The leader of the house said they have better facts and what are the facts? The facts are the Supreme Court judgment categorically stated that Sir Celestine Omehia was never a governor, because he never stood for any election and that it will be inappropriate for their (assembly) legacy that they didn’t respect the judgement of the Supreme Court.”
“In this part of our country, people will praise you when it suits them, but when you do the uncommon thing, people will not praise you”.
He stressed the need for people to keep politics away from what had been done urging the people to get a copy of the Supreme Court judgment and understand that it was s the right thing to derecognise Omehia in the eye of the law.
“I had to call the Attorney General for him to give me his legal opinion as regards the resolution of the Assembly, and rightly the Attorney General said they (assembly) are right.
“That in the first instance, the recognition was extra-judicial, that the assembly has no power to change the judgment of any court, not to talk about the Supreme Court. So, people should understand and not begin to play politics”, Wike explained further.
He described as untrue the insinuation in the media that Sir Celestine Omehia was derecognised because he had ceased to be his ally, and now a member of the presidential campaign council of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) saying that the assembly had woken up to their conscience and did not want posterity to blame them for an error they had done which they could correct.
Wike likened it to the position members of the National Assembly also found themselves when they were working on the Electoral Amendment Bill.
Wike said; “Remember, last time, the National Assembly when they were making the amendment of the Electoral Act, everybody said they should include the card reader and that was in 2018/2019.
“The National Assembly did not do it, particularly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) members and people told them what they were doing will hunt them. Posterity will not forgive you if you do not allow democracy to thrive.
“In the new Electoral Amendment Act, because they knew they did not do the right thing, they had to include it and you can see that members of the National Assembly are happy that they have done the right thing.”
Wike also pointed to the money paid to Omehia as proof against those who peddled tales that government does not pay such benefits at all.
“If this did not happen, nobody will even know that the state government has been coughing out such an amount of money to pay as benefits.
“I’m sure, they must have told you that no benefits and all entitlements were never paid, that is what you hear everywhere.
“But yesterday, when it was revealed that the state government coughed out such an amount of money to pay as benefits as recommended by the assembly and now, they have sent the resolution to me, I thank God today, without looking back, I have signed it as an instrument and it will be gazetted for record purposes”.
But in a swift reaction Thursday after the assembly passed the motion the Rivers APC described the move as “one example of legislative brigandage in Rivers State.
In a statement signed by Darlington Nwauju, its Publicity Secretary the APC accused the Rivers State House of Assembly of brazenly committing an affront on the 25th October 2007 judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria which declared that in the eyes of the law, Sir Celestine Omehia was never a Governor of Rivers State.
He said; “Back then in 2015, it was politically correct to recognise Omehia but with the political realities of today, it’s no longer expedient.
“A state assembly maliciously disregarded the letters and spirit of the October 25, 2007 judgement, only to turn around to shamelessly demand that the privileges Omehia enjoyed as a result of its infantile rascality in 2015, be refunded within 7 days. Should the Rivers State House of Assembly not be apologizing to Rivers people by now for poor representation?
He pointed out that the earlier recognition was a Greek gift offered by Omehia to spite former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, but has now been effortlessly retrieved.
“The deployment of political might in Rivers State and the obvious abuse of such powers is a danger signal to the growth of democracy in Rivers State. How can a state house of assembly which should ordinarily serve as the bastion of democracy, the voice and conscience of Rivers people, be reduced to the Governor’s lackey and attack dog against the governor’s perceived political enemies? Nwauju queried.
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