Cross River Local Government Election Holds October 26

By Eme Offiong, Calabar

The Chairman of the reconstituted Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission, CROSIEC, Dr. Ekong Boco, has scheduled the local government election for October 26, 2024.

The exercise will be conducted precisely 4 years after the last council election in 2020 under the Professor Ben Ayade led administration.

Dr. Boco made the announcement during a meeting with chairmen of existing political parties in Cross River State, commending the political stakeholders for supporting the commission in its effort to organise a free, fair and transparent election across the 28 local government areas.

At the meeting, which was held at the CROSIEC office in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, southern Nigeria, Boco further released a one month long time-table for the conduct of the local government election, which was made available to political parties and marking the beginning of the electoral process.

He stated, “today we bring before you the Time-table and Notice of Election for the commencement of all electoral activities for the 2024 Local Government Council Election in the State.”

Adhere to Framework

At the event, the election timetable and CROSIEC guidelines were made available to political parties, marking the beginning of the electoral process. Political candidates were advised to obtain their forms and proceed with their campaigns within the framework set by CROSIEC.

“The electoral process commences on September 25th with the publication of the Notice for election and we expect political parties and candidates to obtain their forms and proceed with their campaigns within the stipulated framework before the 2024 local government election on October 26,” he stated.

The CROSIEC boss said that the growing public demand for restoring democracy in the local government system prompted the government to act in line with Section 197 (1) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution, which allows the state government to constitute the Independent Electoral Commission.

Boco expressed the hope that the commission would successfully conduct the 2024 election just as the previous four exercises held in 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2020 were adjudged free, fair and credible by observers, stakeholders and the citizens generally.

He appealed for the cooperation of all parties to guarantee a peaceful election, emphasizing that elections should not be seen as a battleground rather as a means to achieve credible leadership at the grassroots level.

Dramatic Ending

Meanwhile, A heated confrontation occurred during the meeting involving key leaders from major political parties in Cross River State.

The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Venatius Ikem, and the chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dr. Ekpenyong Ambo, engaged in a bitter exchange of words that escalated quickly.

The altercation nearly resulted in a physical fight, disrupting what had initially been a peaceful meeting.

The tension between the two leaders caused the meeting to end abruptly, leaving attendees in disarray.

Adding to the drama, a separate disagreement unfolded between the caretaker committee chairman of the Labour Party, Mr. John Ushie, and the substantive chairman, Mr. Ogar Osim.

The two had a mild, but noticeable altercation over leadership issues within the party, further compounding the tension in the atmosphere.

Confidence Okwuchi