How Justice Odili saved my political career, by Wike

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has said he will remain grateful to Justice Mary Odili for her timely intervention which saved his political career in 2004.

The governor said he cried to Justice Odili when his name was excluded from the list of contestants for chairmen of local governments. According to him, Mrs. Odili listened to him, and took the complaint to her husband, Dr. Peter Odili, who was governor then.

Wike spoke yesterday at a thanksgiving to mark Justice Odili’s 70th birthday and her retirement as Justice of the Supreme Court, held at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chaplaincy, Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA) in Port Harcourt.

He praised Justice Odili for the 44 years of meritorious public service, which he described as no mean feat.

The governor explained that the manner Justice Mary Odili presented the matter got her husband acting on it immediately.

He said: “In 2004, when her husband was governor, and I was to run for second term as chairman of Obio-Akpor local government area but later learnt my name was removed from the list of contestants cleared for the election so I ran to the Government House.

“They were having lunch with her husband and State PDP chairman then, Prince Uche Secondus.  But she had finished and was entering the vehicle when I approached her to say ‘Mummy I’m finished, they’ve removed my name’.

“She ran back to inform her husband who orderd that Secondus be called back. That was how I secured a second term as chairman. For me, I can’t talk about my growth without mentioning her. Her being around that particular day saved my career in politics. And so that was how I grew from there to become what I am today.”

The governor said he learnt a vital lesson from Mrs. Odili, ‘the determination to build the capacity to be successful in one’s career while not ignoring giving requisite attention to the family’. He said Justice Odili maintained a good balance that made her succeed both in her career as a legal practitioner, a mother and wife.

“I have seen somebody who is very compassionate and very caring. The moment you’re around her husband, she takes care of you. She sees you as her husband’s person and so she will always relate with you. Some of us are direct beneficiaries of the care through our relationship with the husband,” Wike added.

Justice Odili described the joy she felt as unspeakable and a thing of honour to have Governor Wike do a vote of thanks in her honour.

She said: “”The good Lord knows that Peter and I don’t know how to properly thank God. Our journey in life has been such that the good Lord has always been there. There have been challenges no doubt, but the good Lord did not promise us that we will not have challenges, tribulations or difficulties, but he has always stood by us and made us prevail in all those trials and tribulations.”