A Legal luminary in Rivers State, and a Senior Advocate Nigeria, OCJ Okocha has condemned the critics of the state Governor, Nyesom Wike for restoring the status of Sir Celestine Omehia as ex-governor.
OCJ Okocha SAN told the media in Port Harcourt that Governor Wike did not act in ignorance.
He said though Sir Omehia was not recognised in the eyes of the law in the Supreme Court judgment but in reality, he was elected and sworn-in as Governor of Rivers State in May 29, 2007.
The learned silk also noted that those criticising Wike were misinformed and were speaking out of malice.
Okocha also said those criticising the incumbent Governor would realise that no one could erase the records of history.
He referred to the case of Ernest Shonekan to further elucidate his point, saying that despite his removal by a court judgment as the Head of Interim government, Shonekan was still being accorded the rights of a former Head of State.
“Those who are attacking the Governor for restoring the status of Sir Celestine Omehia as a former Governor of Rivers State are misinformed and are obviously speaking out of spite and ill will.
“In the eyes of the law, the election of Celestine Omehia as the governor of Rivers state is a nullity but in actual fact, Celestine Omehia was the Governor of Rivers state and ruled this state as governor for upwards of 6months until the Supreme Court nullified his election and held that the person duly elected was Rotimi Amaechi.
“You cannot erase from the records that Celestine Omehia was Governor; he appointed Special Advisers, he appointed Commissioners, he ran the government of Rivers state, awarded contracts, paid contractors; all those are factual.
“What Wike has done is just to recognise a factual situation. There is nothing constitutionally wrong, there is nothing unlawful the governor has done.
“When people talk, I hear about some eminent Lawyers some of whom were my teachers when I was in the Law school, I say have they forgotten Ernest Shonekan who was Head of state under an interim Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that interim government was nullified by a court in Lagos by Justice Dolapo Akinsanya that an interim government was unknown to the Nigerian Constitution but today Ernest Shonekan still sits as a member of the Council of States.
“All the Military Head of States like General Aguyi Ironsi uptill General Abdusalam Abubakar were in the eyes of the Law an aberration to the Nigerian system but today they all seat as members of the National Council of state”.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Olisa Agbakoba, had flayed the restoration of Sir Celestine Omehia’s rights as a former governor of Rivers State by the current governor, Nyesom Wike.
Agbakoba, described Wike’s action as a useless distraction and an action that was unnecessary.
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