Rivers Assembly moves to Delist Omehia As Former Governor

on Thursday, Rivers State House of Assembly passed a motion to delist Sir Celestine Ngochim Omehia as former governor of the State.

Omehia was governor of Rivers between May 29, 2007, and October 25, 2007, before the Supreme Court sacked him.

The court annulled Omehia’s election, ruling that Rotimi Amaechi, not Omehia, was the PDP’s legitimate candidate.

Amaechi had won the PDP primaries, but the party substituted Omehia at the last moment due to allegations of graft.

When Amaechi became governor, he failed to recognise Omehia. But Wike reversed this decision and paid Omehia his entitlements as a former governor.

However, the duo fell out in what is believed to be the latter’s ties to PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who defeated Wike in the primaries of the PDP.

Presenting the motion on Thursday, the house Leader, Martin Amaewmule, urged his colleagues to reverse an earlier resolution of the 8th Assembly on June 30, 2015, which compelled the Executive Arm to recognise Omehia as a former Governor and be accorded all entitlements, privileges and benefits.

The former Governor was also directed to refund all the money and benefits accrual to him from the day he was recognized as a former governor.

Amid the crisis rocking the PDP, Wike had vowed to “crush his enemies”.

“I was on a plane with him (Ikpeazu) and we were discussing and he said why won’t I leave this thing for God and I said what do you mean by that? Why are you overcrowding God? God has given me what it takes for me to crush these people, for me to crush my enemies and you are telling me I should leave it for God. No. God has give me what it takes. God has so many things to do. There are the ones I should do and there are the ones I should call God,” he had said while commissioning a project in Abia last month.

(Daily Trust)