Politics
Why Omehia Was Derecognised As Rivers Ex-gov – Wike

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike. has blamed the Rivers State House of Assembly for recognising Celestine Omehia as a former Governor of the state in 2015.
He said the action of the State 32-member legislature was in violation of an extant Supreme Court judgement which ousted Omehia and said he never existed as governor in the eyes of the law.
The governor explained that with the benefit of hindsight, the leader of the state assembly even alluded to the judgement of the apex court ousting Omehia, which said he never stood for any election.
Wike said this in Government House, Port Harcourt, on Friday, when he signed a legal instrument into law de-recognising Omehia as former governor of the state, when it was presented to him by the State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor.
He said the signing was an executive action sequel to the resolution of the State House of Assembly during its plenary on Thursday.
Wike explained that with the signing, the recognition that accorded Omehia the status of a former governor, with accruable rights and benefits are now cancelled.
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The governor disclosed that he had always respected resolutions from the State Assembly and never had any reason to disagree with them.
This was contained in a statement issued by Kelvin Ebiri, media aide to the governor and made available to newsmen on Friday.
“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.
“But you will recollect that sometime in 2007/2008, my predecessor, His Excellency Chibuike Amaechi did not recognize Sir Celestine Omehia as 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 statement quoted Wike as saying.
Wike pointed to the reasons adduced by the leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly that the strength of the information they have now had compelled them to reverse what they did in 2015.
“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 stated.
The governor stressed the need why people should keep politics away from what had been done. He further urged members of the public to get a copy of the Supreme Court judgment and understand that it was the right thing to de-recognise Omehia.
“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,” the governor said.
He explained as untrue that the insinuation in the media that Omehia was de-recognised because he had ceased to be his ally, and now a member of the presidential campaign council of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Wike also pointed to the sum of money paid to Omehia as a proof against those who peddled tales that government does not pay such benefits at all.
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“If this did not happen, nobody will even know that the State government has been coughing out such amount of money to pay as benefits.
“I’m sure, they must have told you that no benefits and all entitlements were never paid, that is what you hear everywhere.
“But yesterday, when it was revealed that the State government coughed out such amount of money to pay as benefits as recommended by the Assembly and now, they have sent the resolution to me, I thank God today, without looking back, I have signed it as instrument and it will be gazetted for record purposes.”
Politics
Umahi Fires Back At Makinde Over Lagos-Calabar Highway Cost

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has fired back at Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over his recent comments questioning the cost per kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, insisting that the governor misunderstood the technical details of road construction and cost evaluation.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the Keffi Bridge and the Nasarawa–Toto Road projects, alongside the state governor, Abdullahi Sule, on Saturday, Umahi said the cost of the highway had been carefully computed in line with global engineering standards and should not be reduced to “political soundbites.”
Governor Makinde had queried the minister’s estimated figures on the cost per kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which is one of the signature infrastructure projects of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Makinde, who spoke at an event in a viral video on Friday, said there was no need for the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to be “dancing around the cost” of the project.
READ ALSO:Makinde Calls Out Umahi Over Coastal Highway Cost Analysis
He said, “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘How has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.
Responding to the inspection tour, the former Ebonyi governor described Makinde as “a brother and friend” but said it was improper for him to publicly accuse him of “dancing around” figures.
“I heard that my brother and friend, Governor Makinde of Oyo state, said something about the cost per kilometre. I don’t want to join issues with him. I think he is an engineer, I think he is an electrician, they call it ‘elect-elect’. But this road construction matter, ‘elect-elect no reach there’,” Umahi said.
He continued, “I am his senior both in governance and in engineering practice. So, anything he doesn’t understand, he should call me and ask. I have great respect for him as my friend and brother, but he should withdraw the statement that I’m dancing around. I never danced around. If he insists, he should come for a debate, which is very important.”
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Defending the project further, Umahi explained that there was no ambiguity in determining the cost per kilometre, stressing that it must be understood in both estimated and average terms.
“There is no ambiguity in cost per kilometre,” he said. “I am teaching them that cost per kilometre can be divided into estimated cost, which has elements of variance, and average cost, which is definitive. The average cost of a definitive project and the estimated cost are probable elements.”
He explained that the estimated cost includes allowances for contingencies and variation of price, which may not eventually be utilised.
“When the project is completed, and you remove what you didn’t use, such as contingencies and VOP, then you have your actual cost,” he added.
READ ALSO:Umahi Terminates Benin–Warri Road Contract, Seeks Refund
Umahi expressed amusement that some critics had resorted to asking Artificial Intelligence to explain the difference between estimated and average cost, only for the AI’s response to align with his explanation.
“When somebody who is dangling without knowledge goes to ask AI what the difference is between cost per kilometre and average cost, I’m happy that AI told him exactly what I said,” the minister quipped.
He also cited the National Universities Commission’s clarification on who qualifies as a professor, noting that practical experience in the field also counts as expertise.
“I’m happy that the NUC programme on who is a professor also made me right. You can become a professor by the reason of your practice. And I think God has made me one when it comes to practical, field engineering programmes, that’s what it is; you can’t take it back,” Umahi said.
Politics
Enugu Gov Mbah Set to Dump PDP

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah is set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, next week.
National Chairman and Deputy National Chairman, South-East, of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and Emma Eneukwu, respectively, broke the news in Abuja on Friday.
The APC national leadership revealed Mbah’s imminent defection to the ruling party while swearing in the newly inaugurated members of the Enugu State caretaker committee, led by former state chairman, Ben Nwoye, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
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The governor is expected to announce his defection at an event schedule to hold in the state next week.
Chairman of the newly inaugurated caretaker committee, Nwoye, who confirmed the development, said the governor will join the ruling party alongside all his appointees.
There are speculations that Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, is also set to join APC.
Politics
Makinde Calls Out Umahi Over Coastal Highway Cost Analysis

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has weighed in on the cost of the controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project that was approved by President Bola Tinubu.
Makinde, who spoke at an event in a viral video on Friday, said there was no need for the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to be “dancing around the cost” of the project.
The governor was reacting to a heated exchange that unfolded live on television between Umahi and Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni on Tuesday.
Oseni had requested the minister to analyse the cost of the project, kilometre by kilometre.
READ ALSO:Umahi Terminates Benin–Warri Road Contract, Seeks Refund
The request didn’t sit well with Umahi, who declared himself “professor” of practice in engineering while elaborating that the costs of the road in kilometres are not the same and would be too complicated for the journalist to understand.
He said, “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘how has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.
“When a certificate is generated, and it is approved through a process in the Ministry of Works, it will then be given to the funders, who will, in turn, check if the works were done. How can you be asking for cost of kilometre? The prices are different. The next kilometre is different from the next kilometre.
“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field. You don’t understand anything. I understand engineering very well. You have no knowledge of what you ask. You have no knowledge of what you’re asking.”
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Oseni, who also refused to back down, responded, “Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.”
However, justifying the journalist’s question to the minister, Makinde said, “They asked a minister how much is the coastal road is, and then you (Umahi) are dancing around and going to say that no, the next kilometre is different from the next kilometres. Then what is the average cost?
“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road then, it was about N9.99 billion, almost N10 billion. About 34 or 35 kilometres, average cost is about N238 million per kilometre.
“But when we did Iseyin to Ogbomoso, that was 76 kilometres, it was about N43 billion, average cost is about N500 million per kilometre. And we had two bridges, one over the Ogun river and then one at Ogbomoso end.”
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The PUNCH reports that last year, the Federal Government announced the commencement of construction work on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which spans nine states and includes two spurs leading to the northern states.
Umahi made the announcement during the official handover of the first phase of the project, made up of 47.47 kilometers of dual carriageway, to Hitech Construction Company Limited, and which is to be constructed in concrete pavement.
This was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser (Media), Uchenna Orji.
According to him, the Minister who was in company with the Federal Ministry of Works’ Controller in charge of Lagos State, Mrs O. I. Kesha, emphasised the need for all contractors handling Federal Government’s road projects to deliver within a record time, noting that the government would not allow variation arising from delays or slow pace of work once mobilisation had been done.
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