Imoke calming Cross River after Sack

The removed governor of Cross River State, Mr. Liyel Imoke, has appealed to the people of the state to remain calm, in the light of his sacking by the Supreme Court.

Imoke stated this in a posting on his Twitter and Facebook accounts, a few hours after he was sacked along with five of his colleagues.

They were sacked after the court declared that their term ended on May 29, 2011 and that the tenure elongation accorded them by a lower court was illegal and alien to the 1999 Constitution.

He wrote, “This morning, the Supreme Court delivered judgment with respect to the first tenure of this administration holding that the tenure ended on the 27th of May 2011. In compliance with the judgment I have vacated office as governor and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly has been sworn in as acting Governor.

“The Independent Electoral Commission shall, following the provisions of the law, conduct elections for the office of governor. Once again I appeal for calm and peace in the state.

“I call for support for the acting governor until fresh elections are conducted. I appreciate the overwhelming support given me by Cross Riverians during the recent primaries conducted by the PDP where I emerged as the candidate of the party.

“With your support we shall emerge victorious at the polls and continue with the development programmes and projects embarked upon during the first tenure.”