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The Ekiti State governor, Segun Oni, yesterday asked
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to explain
statements credited to its officials that the tenure of office of all
the governors that won rerun elections should be counted from May 29,
2007 when they first assumed office, saying INEC needs to explain what
happens to the period spent in office by acting governors in those
states.

State governors such as Timpre Sylva of Bayelsa
State, Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, Aliyu Daikingari of Kebbi
State, and Segun Oni were removed from office midway into their tenure
after losing at the electoral tribunal before winning back their posts.

But Mr. Oni said the issues surrounding the tenure of office is simply a constitutional matter.

“Even as we are not afraid of standing for elections
anytime, provided the constitution is followed, it must, however, be
stated that laws are not known to take retroactive effect,” he said.
“Though the issue of tenure of office of the states where by-elections
were held is still a subject of various law suits, we must state
without fear of contradiction that tenure of Oni and other governors
whose elections were nullified and returned to office after winning by
or rerun elections is not for the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to fix. It is simply a constitutional matter,” said
Wale Ojo-Lanre, the spokesperson to the Governor Oni.

Blaming the opposition

Mr. Ojo-Lanre, in another development, described the
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state as a party of failed
politicians who abhor development and progress of the state. He was
referring to statements credited to the ACN that the Ekiti State
University Teaching Hospital has not witnessed any development since Mr
Oni took office.

“The party’s comment on the Haemo-Dialysis Centre
donated to the state University Teaching Hospital (UTH) by MTN is a
demonstration of their frustration and hatred for the well-being of
Ekiti people,” Mr Ojo-Lanre said.

“It is on record that only 12 hospitals were selected
out of 60 applications that were submitted. Governor Oni also wrote a
personal letter to the MTN Foundation, reiterating the state
government’s commitment for the project,” he said.

The spokesperson said that the hospital was picked as
one of the 12 recipients of a dialysis centre due to the report of a
team sent to the state by the foundation that claimed that it met the
standard set for the installation of the dialysis equipment.

The Ekiti State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria had on
Tuesday lauded the MTN Foundation for donating the haemodialysis centre
to the University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti. But the party said the
state government has not fulfilled its obligation to the hospital.