Another absentee governor in Nigeria, the Governor of Cross River State, Mr Liyel Imoke Friday night returned to Nigeria after about three months abroad on a lengthy vacation.
The governor, a former Minister of Power and Steel during President Olusegun Obasanjo Administration who had been rumoured dead reportedly landed in Murtala Muhammed International Airport aboard a scheduled British Airways Boeing 747 carrier.
Mr Imoke’s return made it the second of the absentee governors to return to the country unannounced. The ailing Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime had returned to the country early on February 7 through an early morning flight to Abuja Airport leaving only the recuperating Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai as the only governor remaining overseas.
Governor Suntai who flew the plane that crashed last year in spite of professional advice is currently receiving treatments at a German hospital.
Mr Imoke was said to have taken time off the stress from governance and receive treatment for a minor health concern in the United States of America.
The case of Governor Liyel Imoke who was said to have been recuperating in his palatial Maryland residence in USA was however different from the duo of Chime and Suntai because he was said to have transferred power to his deputy, Mr Efiok Cobham in line with the spirit of the 1999 Constitution as amended before embarking on his accumulated leave abroad.
Imoke had communicated his decision to transfer power to the State House of Assembly through a letter to the Speaker, Rt. Hon Larry Odey.
Imoke said Cobham would act in his place for the duration of the leave in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Though the said communication was not made public until he was rumoured to have passed on overseas, the development prompted a statement from his office in December disclosing that the governor handed formally to the his deputy before traveling for medical attention.
The statement had read in part, , “Some 3 weeks ago His Excellency took a short break after a long hectic, and eventful year all preparatory to the start of the busy Calabar festival season. He used the opportunity to undergo medicals and in the course of so doing, was advised by his doctors to undergo further evaluation.
“Accordingly, His Excellency will be proceeding on a 2-month accumulated leave with effect from today. In line with the provisions of the constitution His Excellency, Efiok Cobham the Deputy Governor will act in his place during the period of his leave.”
However, a few days after his departure to the United States, rumours hit the streets of Calabar that he had passed on from an undisclosed ailment.
To douse the prevailing rumours of his death, the governor was forced to have dropped a word on his Facebook page even while receiving medical attention to put a stop to the rumours through his Facebook page where sympathizers had posted their condolences and even get well messages.
“Gratitude for the concern, kind words and messages. I am well. Very well and in good health and spirit. One can’t continuously cheat nature especially at the punishing pace we do. It’s probably been eight to ten years or more without a break or a decent vacation. ?
“I truly needed to take this time off. Thankfully we are unified in our approach to governance so there’s continuity, which is important. Best regards, ’’ the Governor wrote.
The Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba had also doused tension in Calabar when he confirmed that there was no truth in the rumours on Imoke during a chat with journalists before the New Year when he was quoted have said that he met with Governor Liyel Imoke in the United States recently during a visit. “He was not sick, let alone being on hospital bed as rumoured. Imoke, which I saw, was in good health contrary to the rumours in Calabar that he has passed on. We even joked about rumours of his death,” Ndoma-Egba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said.
Imoke was first rumoured dead after a late night accident at the hills of the Obudu Ranch and Resort in 2010 that saw him travel to the United States to seek orthopedic help and care. His prolonged absence from the state fueled rumours of his demise.
He is expected to fly to Calabar over the weekend.
