Ibrahim Gaddafi Tanko
The news coming out of the garden City of Portharcourt indicates that the Rivers State house of Assembly has passed a motion seeking to strip Sir Celestine Omehia of all rights and privileges accorded to him as a former governor of Rivers State.
The resolution of the house which is expected to be assented to by Governor Nyesome wike on Friday 7 October 2022 without doubt has the imprimatur of the Governor of the state and a direct consequence of Sir Omehia’s support for the Presidential candidacy of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar after the failure of his kinsman Governor Wike to clinch the party’s nomination.
Nigerians will not forget in a hurry how Governor wike in 2015 in cahoots with members of the Rivers State of House of Assembly controversially passed a similar motion to recognize Sir Celestine Omehia as a former Governor of the state, a decision that has been described by Legal experts as a lethal attack and an affront on the October 25 2007 Judgement of the Supreme Court. The Judgment.ousted Omehia from office over the illegal substitution of Rt Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as the Gubernatorial Candidate of the People’s democratic party (PDP) in 2007.
For emphasis Celestine Omehia superintended over the affairs of Rivers state from may 29 2007 to October 25 2007, before then he had served as Commissioner of education in 1992 and a special Adviser during the reign of Dr Peter Odili as Governor of the State.
In a classical example of the chicken coming home to roost, the once Jolly good relationship and camaraderie that existed between Governor Wike and Governor Omehia is now headed for the rocks as Governor wike is hell bent on deploying all arsenals at his disposal to crush perceived Political adversaries with Sir Omehia now falling prey.
While the intention of this writer is not to hold brief for Sir Omehia or Governor wike but to fault Omehia’s acceptance of the Politically motivated Greek gift offered to him by the Rivers State helmsman which was premeditated to spite his predecessor Rotimi Amaechi knowing fully well also as a lawyer that the action of the Governor then and the state House of Assembly amounted to an illegality and a brazen assault on the 2007 verdict of the nation’s Apex court.
It is instructive to note that the decision of the supreme Court in all matters adjudicated by it in the land is final, this has been restated various times in plethora of cases decided by the Court except if it decides to set aside it decisions by itself as it did in the case of Olorunfemi Vs Asho (Suit No. Sc.13 1999).
In the case of Omehia the supreme Court has not reviewed itself despite the application of review he applied to the court in 2009. As such the Rivers State House of Assembly which has turned itself to Governor Wike’s apron strings Ab-initio acted ultra-vires in 2015 when it recognized Omehia, therefore it goes without gainsaying to state that yesterday’s action by the house is of no effect whatsoever as Omehia was never governor of Rivers State in the eyes of the law based on the supreme Court judgement.
As such all the emoluments Omehia enjoyed as a former governor was a way carefully crafted and calculated to hamstring Chief Omehia and subject him to the whims and caprices of Governor wike as he is now being forced to vomit all he had taken amounting to over 700 million naira after going against the run of play, as he who pays the piper dictates the tune.
With Governor wike signing the instrument derecognising Sir Celestine Omehia as former Governor of the State ultimately debarring him from using the appellation His excellency and the highest honour of Grand service star of Rivers state (GSSRS) the question then is who will fall next to Governor Wike’s dangling hammer ?
Ibrahim Gaddafi Tanko, a political analyst writes from Abuja, he can be reached at Gaddafi_i@yahoo.com.
