Omehia Loses Intention To Unseat Amaechi Again

The final bid by the sacked governor of Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia, to unseat the incumbent, Rotimi Amaechi, collapsed at the Supreme Court yesterday.

His lawyer, J. Ezike, also drew the ire of the apex court which took offence at his alleged use of abusive language against Amaechi’s counsel, Mr.Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). Accordingly, Ezike will be recommeded to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for appropriate punishment.

In its judgment, the apex court set aside the
order of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which granted Omehia leave on December 20, 2011 to be joined in an appeal before the appellate court against the judgment of the Federal High Court Abuja which held that Amaechi’s tenure would end on May 29, 2011. The case at the Supreme Court was initiated against the Court of Appeal’s decision, making Omehia a party in the appeal filed against the Federal High Court decision.

Amaechi had argued that the Court of Appeal erred in law when it opened the door for Omehia to come in as an interested party when he was not a party to the main proceeding.

The Supreme Court held that Omehia ought not to have been made a party in the suit challenging when Amaeechi’s tenure would expire.  A chieftain of the people’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Cyprian Chukwu, had approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, to determine when Amaechi’ first tenure would end.  Justice Abdulkadir Abdulkafarati of the FHC had given judgement in favour of Chukwu to the effect that Amaechi’s tenure ended on May 28, 2011.

Amaechi appealed Justice Abdulkafarati’s judgment. While the appeal was on, Omehia applied to be joined as a party. His application was granted. Amaechi headed to the Supreme Court to challenge the appellate court’s decision