Wike insisted that the 2015 recognition of Omehia by the lawmakers against the judgement of the Supreme Court was an error, which they had mustered courage to correct in 2022.
Wike’s signature on the instrument cancelled all the recognition that was hitherto accorded Omehia the status of a former governor with rights and benefits.
The Governor signed the instrument at the Executive Council Chambers of the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt when it was presented to him by the State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor.
He said he had always respected resolutions from the Assembly and never had any reason to disagree with them.
He said: “Yesterday, I received a resolution from the Assembly de-recognising Sir Celestine Omehia, who had enjoyed the privileges of a former governor of the State.
“When we came on board, there were issues and the Assembly felt that, having served as governor, he should enjoy the status of a former governor. I’ve always respected the resolutions of the Assembly. I’ve never one day disagreed with anything the Assembly has sent to me.”
The Governor noted that the hallmark of leadership remained the humility to acknowledge that there was an error done in the course of administration and having the courage to correct such error.
He said: “The leader of the house said they have better facts and what are the facts? The facts are the Supreme Court judgment categorically stated that Sir Celestine Omehia was never a governor , because he never stood for any election and that it will be inappropriate for their (assembly) legacy that they didn’t respect the judgement of the Supreme Court.
In this part of our country, people will praise you when it suits them, but when you do the uncommon thing, people will not praise you.”
Wike stressed that people should keep politics away from what had been done and further urged people to get a copy of the Supreme Court judgment and understand that it was the right thing to derecognise Omehia in the eye of the law.
He said: “I had to call the Attorney General for him to give me his legal opinion as regards the resolution of the Assembly, and rightly the Attorney General said they (assembly) are right.
“That in the first instance, the recognition was extra-judicial, that the Assembly has no power to change the judgment of any court, not to talk about the Supreme Court. So, people should understand and not to begin to play politics.”
He said the Assembly had woken to its conscience and did not want posterity to blame them for an error they had done which they could correct.