Nigerian court removes governor of oil state

Nigeria's Supreme Court removed Celestine Omehia as governor of Nigeria's richest oil state on Thursday in the fourth major legal indictment of polls in April.

The elections were meant to mark a democratic milestone for Africa's most populous country, but were so marred by fraud and violence that outside observers said they were "not credible."

The Supreme Court ruled Rotimi Amaechi, who won the primaries for the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) in December, but was removed from the ballot, was the lawfully elected governor of Rivers state.

The electoral body put Omehia's name on the ballot after the PDP removed Amaechi -- a former speaker of the Rivers state house of assembly -- on the basis on an indictment for corruption issued by the federal government, which the Supreme Court said was invalid.

"In the eyes of the law, the appellant (Amaechi) remains the candidate of the PDP and is deemed to have won the election and should be so sworn in immediately," Aloysius Katsina-Alu said, reading the unanimous decision of the seven-man panel of judges.

The ruling has the potential to spark violence in Nigeria's biggest oil producing state, where turf wars between heavily armed gangs with political ties have killed dozens this year.

Hundreds of Amaechi supporters drove round the streets of Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, in cars and motorcycles hooting their horns in jubilation.

Troops patrolled the city in pick-ups and armored personnel carriers, while two military trucks were stationed at the gates of the state government headquarters.

The federal government said it had directed all agencies to implement the ruling and called on the people of Rivers to accept the judgment in good faith.

LOOTING

State governors have considerable power in Nigeria and control about half of oil revenues. Rivers receives a greater share of the cake than any other state, but civil society groups say much of it is looted by corrupt officials.

The Supreme Court ruling was the latest in a string of electoral upsets by Nigeria's judiciary, vindicating reports by independent monitors and opposition parties of widespread malpractice by the ruling party and electoral body.

The opposition Action Congress party hailed the ruling and said the "house of lies" built by the ruling party and the electoral body was gradually being dismantled.

"We call on Nigerians who feel justifiably short-changed by the charade of the April elections to continue to be patient while the election tribunals handle the various petitions before them," the party said in a statement.

Last Saturday, another court nullified the election of Saidu Usman Dakingari, a son-in-law of President Umaru Yar'Adua, as governor of the northwestern state of Kebbi because he was not a member of the PDP when he was nominated as the candidate.

In the central state of Kogi earlier this month, a court nullified the election of Ibrahim Idris as governor because the electoral body removed the name of a key opposition candidate from the ballot.

In June, the Supreme Court ordered a close ally of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to step down because the election that made him governor of southeast Anambra state was illegal and the incumbent still had three years left of his tenure.

Yar'Adua is also facing a legal challenge to his victory. The opposition has given evidence to the tribunal including what it said were three different official election results.