Lawmakers 'unrecognize' Omehia as former governor of Rivers

The Rivers House of Assembly voted unanimously to “de-recognize” Celestine Omehia as a former state governor.

Apart from the 'derecognition', the House also stripped the title of 'His Excellency' and ordered Mr. Omehia to repay over 696 million naira within a week.

The House came to the decision after the leader, Martin Ameawnule, moved the derecognition motion and seconded by Evans Bipi during Thursday's plenary, according to a report by Channels television.

The 21 members present in plenary would have voted in favor of the motion.

Speaker Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani said lawmakers were right to make the decision "because no law is absolute".

Current lawmakers - 9th Assembly - with the decision, overruled the June 30, 2015 resolution passed by their predecessors - 8th Assembly - which mandated State Governor Nyesom Wike to recognize Mr. Omehia as a former Governor and to be granted all rights, privileges and advantages.

Mr. Omehia became Governor of Rivers State in May 2007 after former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, who won the People's Democratic Party (PDP) primaries for the said election, was denied the ticket by the leadership of the time. party.

In October 2007, the Supreme Court fired Mr. Omehia and ordered Mr. Amaechi to be sworn in as state governor, saying that Mr. Amaechi's name had been wrongly changed to Mr. Omehia.

Mr. Omehia, who hails from the same Ikwere local government area as Mr Amaechi, was only recognized as a former governor in June 2015 after Mr Wike, who is of the same ethnic Ikwere nationality, became governor.

Lawmakers, in their brief to Thursday's plenary, said maintaining Mr. Omehia's recognition violated the Supreme Court's ruling.

According to Channels Television, lawmakers have submitted a copy of the Nigerian Weekly Law Report which contains the landmark judgment that removed Mr. Omehia from his governorship.

Mr. Wike and Mr. Omehia were political allies but fell apart when the latter decided to support Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate for the 2023 elections against Mr. Wike's wishes.

MM. Wike and Atiku engaged in a political battle after the PDP presidential primary won by the former vice president.

Mr. Wike leads a group of some party leaders who are calling for the removal of PDP National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu.

Mr. Omehia belongs to a faction of the party in the state, which includes a former national party chairman, Uche Secondus, who is loyal to Mr. Ayu and Atiku.

PREMIUM TIMES was unable to immediately contact Mr. Omehia for comment at the time of filing this report.

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