NEW governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi was sworn in yesterday evening amidst tight security, after he arrived Port Harcourt at exactly 5.30 pm to the waiting embrace of hundreds of supporters, who had thronged the Port Harcourt Air Force base airfield and waited for upwards of five hours.
At Government House, Saturday Vanguard observed a crowd which even comprised some persons who cheered former Governor Omehia, but this time wearing the Amaechi shirts and chanting �na Amaechi we know�.
Shortly afterwards, the Chief Judge Iche Ndu was ushered into the crowded hall and the swearing-in �rituals� were carried out. The people chanted the praises of the new governor, who was full of smiles. Also sworn-in was Mr. Tele Ikuru, as deputy governor; h had been Omehia�s deputy.
Signs of the exit of the former governor, Sir Celestine Omehia, from the political landscape of the state, for now, came into focus as the
giant billboards of Omehia and Odili which bestrode major spots of the capital were being violently pulled down by Amaechi�s supporters.
Amaechi and a seemingly endless convoy, crawled through the jammed traffic to the cheering of people stuck in the excruciating traffic jam, even as some of them did not know who and why they were cheering.
After swearing-in, Amaechi read the riot act and reeled out his dos and don�ts, which included the immediate dissolution of the cabinet of Omehia and that the new cabinet would embrace the opposition parties.
In his new cabinet, former commissioner for information in the Odili administration, Mr. Magnus Abe becomes the new secretary to government, while Thankgod Idozu becomes the commissioner for finance.
Further to this, Nyesom Nwike assumes control as the Chief of Staff and Ogbonna Nwoke takes over as director of press. Again Ken Chikere was appointed Attorney-General while the caretaker committees of local governments stand dissolved and heads of personnel to take charge of the councils.
Amaechi said he would head to court to challenge the composition of the Rivers Independent Electoral Commission and that this would be done Monday morning, October 29, 2007.
He warned cultists to steer clear of the state and challenged those who had prove that he was a cultist or supports their activities to go to court. He said the era when Rivers money was controlled as personal funds was gone for good.
Amaechi praised the Supreme Court justices for being upright in spite of pressure from many quarters to change the course of justice, stating that henceforth people will be accountable to every action and inaction of the administration.
Amaechi said he would present a bill on due process and procurement commission in due course and that he would distance himself from the award of contracts. In what appears like a comic relief to the occasion, he said he would not like to be addressed as his excellency but as former speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly.