Ex-governor Omehia disowns Peter Odili

Written by Isa Umar Gusau, Port Harcourt Tuesday, 19 July 2011 00:00

Former governor of Rivers State, Celestine Omehia, said at the weekend that his purported benefactor, Peter Odili, is not his political godfather and that he does not rely on human beings in his endeavours.

Omehia, who was sacked by the Supreme Court in October, 2007, after five months in office, said no person, but God, is his godfather.

Omehia was responding to questions asked on his relationship with Odili who was widely believed to be his benefactor. His remark was seen as disapproval of Odili’s recent reconciliation with Governor Rotimi Amaechi, his estranged godson.

Odili was believed to be political godfather to Amaechi, Omehia and Dr Abiye Sekibo.  When Omehia was a special adviser to Odili, Amaechi was speaker of the state assembly while Sekibo was SSG in the same government led by Odili. Sekibo later became Transport Minister on the recommendation of Odili, then governor of the state.

All three were very powerful in the government. Amaechi and Omehia are blood cousins.

Omehia’s remark, reportedly made while he was making submission at the elections tribunal in Port Harcourt, may also be in response to the action of Sekibo, who reportedly withdrew the petition he filed against Amaechi’s re-election which many believe was influenced by Odili in the spirit of reconciliation with Amaechi.

Before the April 2011 elections, Omehia had moved out of PDP to become governorship candidate of APGA while Sekibo, also a key associate of Odili, moved out of PDP to become governorship candidate of ACN. The trio of Omehia, Odili and Sekibo worked against Amaechi’s re-election bid.

To the surprise of many, however, Odili showed up at Amaechi’s re-election swearing-in on May 29, 2011, while Amaechi in turn, was at the inauguration of Odili’s wife, Mary, as Justice of the Supreme Court which held weeks back.

It would be recalled that in the build up to the 2007 elections, Odili, it was alleged, masterminded the coming of Omehia to replace Amaechi who won the PDP governorship primaries.

Amaechi was substituted by the PDP based on then EFCC’s controversial advisory list that stood against some candidates from contesting elections. Omehia replaced Amaechi and became governor of Rivers in May, 2007 but 5 months later, the Supreme Court ordered that Amaechi be sworn as governor on the basis that he was the valid candidate of the PDP before the elections and since the party was voted in, he should replace Omehia as governor. Since that verdict, there has been no love lost between Amaechi and his cousin, Omehia.

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