Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the state governor Nyesom Wike disregarded Supreme Court ruling by restoring the rights of Sir Celestine Omehia, as a former governor of the State.
In a statement issued by the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chris Finebone, the party said it was embarrassed that such action could be taken by Wike who engaged in a lot of Anti-Omehia action when he was Rotimi Ameachi’s Chief of Staff.
The statement read “As a party, the APC recalls that the Supreme Court of Nigeria in a 2007 verdict, that is now popular in Nigeria, ruled that Sir Celestine Omehia was never a ‘governor in the eyes of the law’ and consequently nullified his governorship as having not happened. That landmark judgment also ordered that Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi be sworn in immediately as the rightful Governor of Rivers State. The Supreme Court explicitly declared that Omehia held the office in error and illegally.
“Apart from Amaechi, the next immediate beneficiary of that development was Wike who was shortly appointed Chief of Staff by Amaechi. Can Governor Wike, in all honesty, recall drawing the attention of his former boss to the need to override certain aspects of the Supreme Court ruling and defiantly restore Omehia’s rights, howbeit, as he has just done? Can governor Wike today own up to several of the anti-Omehia actions he took as Amaechi’s Chief of Staff until he was called to order?
“The APC feels embarrassed that an individual who is licensed to practice law within the Nigerian territory would, in the most flagrant manner, disregard the ruling of the Supreme Court of the land for selfish political expediency. More embarrassing is that the recipient is himself a lawyer as well who had previously sought to get the Supreme Court reverse itself in related matters without success.
“We expect that if governor Wike was genuinely interested in rehabilitating Sir Celestine Omehia along the line he has taken, the best would have been for him to approach the Supreme Court to reverse their earlier decision on the matter and not resorting to self help. Indeed, there are other legitimate ways to reward a political associate without breaking the law and defying state institutions.
“The APC rejects the attempt by a sitting governor to undermine the integrity and sanctity of the judiciary which is what Governor Nyesom Wike did yesterday against the verdict of the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It suggests that the governor abandoned the Oath of Office and Oath of Allegiance he swore to on the 29th day of May, 2015.”