Amaechi’s tenure: S’Court to hear appeal November 11

 

 

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi

The Supreme Court has fixed November 11, 2013, to hear an appeal in the legal battle between the Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his predecessor, Chief Celestine Omehia, over the incumbent governor’s tenure.

The subject of the legal battle is whether Amaechi’s tenure started on May 29, 2007, when Omehia was inaugurated, or in October 2007, when he was sworn-in after Omehia’s removal by a decision of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court had in the judgment which removed Omehia and installed Amaechi, held that it was the Peoples Democratic Party that won the April 2007 gubernatorial election in Rivers State.

Hearing in the matter was slated to hold on Thursday but, shortly after the panel of Justices of the apex court had consolidated various pending appeals, Omehia’s lawyer, Nnoruka Udechukwu, SAN, applied for an adjournment.

Amaechi’s lawyer, Prince Lateef Fagnemi, SAN, frowned on the application, noting that the Omehia camp had been complaining of delayed justice in the matter.

However, the Supreme Court granted the application and adjourned the hearing to November 11.

The legal battle commenced when the Court of Appeal granted Omehia leave to join as an interested party in an appeal against the ruling of an Abuja Federal High Court which declared that Amaechi’s first tenure should end on May 28, 2011, rather than in October 2011.