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Wike Ratifies Assembly Resolution De-Recognising Omehia As Ex-Governor

Henceforth, a Rivers politician, Celestine Omehia, will no longer be known and addressed as a former governor of the state.


celestine Omehia
A file photo of Celestine Omehia.
file photo of Celestine Omehia

 

Henceforth, a Rivers politician, Celestine Omehia, will no longer be known and addressed as a former governor of the state.

This followed Governor Nyesom Wike’s ratification of the resolution by the State Assembly that Omehia, who was sacked by the Supreme Court in 2007, after about five months in office, be de-recognising.

“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,” the governor said on Friday.

“But you will recollect that sometime in 2007/2008, my predecessor, His Excellency Chibuike Amaechi did not recognize 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.”

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Governor Wike, at the signing ceremony in Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday, urged the public not to politicise the decision of the State Assembly in trying to correct an error.

“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,”  Wike added.

“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 said: “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.”