Supreme Court upholds Amaechi’s election as Governor of Rivers state

The Supreme Court has dismissed the suit filed by former governor Celestine Omehia seeking the removal of Rotimi Amaechi as governor of Rivers State.

The controversial suit was thrown out for what the judge referred to as lacking in merit and an abuse of court process.

The apex court subsequently declared that Governor Amaechi remained the validly elected governor of Rivers State.

Celestine Omehia had approached the court seeking to nullify the emergence of Governor Amaechi as the governor of the state after the court had ruled that Amaechi, whose name was substituted in the primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2007 election is the validly elected candidate.

Omehia, who was announced as elected governor in April 2007, was sacked by the Supreme Court after about six months in office, paving the way for Amaechi, who the Court said was the rightful candidate of the PDP in the election, to assume office on October 26, 2007.

The governor was re-elected in 2011.

The Supreme Court had during the last hearing of the matter in October, consolidated multiple appeals brought in respect of Amaechi’s re-election.