The Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who has been at loggerheads with his predecessor Nyesom Wike who is currently the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), over control of the political structure that got him elected, has allegedly reinstated Sir Celestine Omehia as former Governor of Rivers State.
Governor Fubara has also promised to fully compensate Sir Omehia and pay all his entitlements that were previously withheld
Recall that Wike in the build up to the 2023 Presidential Election decided to de-recognize Sir Omehia for standing with the then PDP Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar. Wike faces political humiliation in Rivers as GDI leaders turn against him, back Fubara Wike who was the former leader of the rebellious G5 group, led the 5 governors to boycott the presidential campaign of the PDP, and ignored ongoing consultative meetings with stakeholders, the governor has continued to move against loyalists of the former Vice President.
The former governor also instigated the Rivers State House of Assembly to de -recognise Celestine Omehia as a former governor of the state through a resolution reversing an earlier resolution of June 2015.soon after becoming governor, Wike had caused the 8th Assembly to recognize Omehia as governor in order to spite his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi While Wike, who was Minister of State for Education, fell out with Ameachi by supporting President Jonathan, he quickly made up with Omehia by causing the 8th Assembly to pass a resolution recognising him as a former governor.
Gov. Fubara who has realigned with the former PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, and all the Atiku Abubakar allies in Rivers State, has also promised to pay in full all his entitlements denied him in the past months. Recall that Wike had on January 31, 2023 withdrawn the initial approval for the use of the facility granted on January 11 on the grounds that credible intelligence and certain development showed that the PDP Presidential Campaign Council was allegedly working in collaboration with the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.
Meanwhile, Senator Dino Melaye, former Spokesperson and Director Public Affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Management Committee had prior to the presidential election in 2023 warned Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to discontinue his “unwarranted insult” on Atiku Abubakar. A damning testimony from Melaye tends to give credence to this claim The Kogi governorship candidate was the spokesperson of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council. He loudly accused the ex-Rivers governor of pushing the southern presidency agenda because he was not chosen as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the PDP 2023 presidential candidate.
During an interview on AIT Dino also said Wike called him 19 times in two hours promising heaven and earth should Atiku announce him as the vice presidential candidate. “I want to tell you that Wike is a pretentious character, a liar and he has no iota of integrity, Wike was calling me when Atiku Abubakar was to announce his running mate. “I have records and I have printed it out and I am waiting for him, he called me 19 times in two hours begging us to convince Atiku to make him the vice presidential candidate. “So, when I see him lying on TV saying ‘because of the south, because of Southern Nigeria, the presidency must go to south’ you were lobbying us and begging us, promising us heaven and earth to convince Atiku to make you vice presidential candidate to the extent that he was at the airport. “I have a video, he spent hours in the airport waiting for me to call him to say Atiku has picked you as vice president, he was at the airport waiting, calling me, calling my brother and friend, we were on the senate together and was also calling me that day.
“I have witnesses, I even gave the phone to Abudul Ningi to speak with him, I gave the phone to senator Uzamere to speak with him, he was begging all of us promising heaven and earth, Atiku should announce him, it was around 1 or so that I told him; Oga, nobody go give you vice president. “That was when he left and then flew back; so the man was so desperate to be vice president because you didn’t get it; you now started a southern agenda.
I don’t believe in such an unprincipled, zero integrity character like Nyesom Wike.” Dino also accused Wike of pushing the chairmanship of PDP to the North so as not to affect his ambition of becoming a president. “Wike was the one who brought Ayu, he was the one who sponsored Ayu and that was why Wike made all the governors endorse Ayu and that was why there was no election in the national chairman’s office during the convention, Ayu was unopposed. “You are the one that brought Ayu so when did you now realise that Ayu is a northerner but he was doing that, that time to satisfy his own selfish ambition of becoming the presidential candidate from the south so he doesn’t want the chairmanship at that time to go to the south so that it will not affect his ambition of becoming president from the south so he pushed the chairmanship to the north and thinking that he will be able to bribe Ayu to choose him as the presidential candidate when Ayu refused to do the wrong thing then Ayu became an enemy.” Adding, Melaye said Wike should not be taken seriously because he was allegedly under the influence of alcohol. Now, armed with the counsel Wike gave to Ambode, Fubara has started raising the ante of the power politics in Rivers. He has in a daring fresh twist, put the Port Harcourt Ring Road project which was started by Wike, on hold.