Four governors continue campaign, despite tenure elongation

FLASHBACK --We are still waiting for the Federal Appeal Court decision on the gubernatorial races in Bayelsa and Cross River.  This is no way to run a railroad!

National Mirror

14 March 2011

Four governors continue campaign, despite tenure elongation 

Various Governors, of different State in Nigeria. Despite the recent court ruling stopping governorship elections in five states, the affected governors have continued their campaign for re-election, though without the usual fanfare. The exception, however, is Kogi State where Governor Idris Ibrahim is not seeking re-election because he is spending his second term in office. National Mirror investigation reveals that the aim “is to prevent a situation where they are caught off-guard as a result of the pending outcome of the appeal filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja.” The governorship election comes up on Saturday, April 16.

The thinking in the camps of the governors is that with the governorship election coming up in 30 days time, they have to put the necessary machinery in place to ensure their return in the event the appellate court overturns the ruling of the high court. Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had ruled that election would not hold in Kogi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Cross River and Bayelsa. This is contrary to the position of INEC insisting that the tenure of the affected governors expires on May 29, 2011.