By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The leadership of the Cross River State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, has lauded the governor of the state, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, for assenting to the CROSIEC law, recently amended by the Cross River State House of Assembly, CRHA, in line with the Supreme Court judgement which mandated the 36 state governors to constitute local government councils.
Cross River State IPAC chairman, Engr.Effiom Edet-Okon, dropped the commendation during a question and answer session with our correspondent in Calabar, yesterday.
IPAC had before the amendment of the electoral law by the lawmakers given Governor Otu a 90-day ultimatum to conduct local government council elections, even before the Supreme Court judgement authorizing the conduct of local government polls.
Key amendments by the CRHA included revision of campaign duration for local government elections, stipulated to be not less than 30 days instead of 90 days.
The lawmakers averred that Section 20 A(1) of the new law urged all registered political parties intending to hold their congresses or primaries for nomination of candidates for any elective office for the local government council to give the electoral commission at least 21 days’ notice in writing to attend and monitor such events.
Again, “Section 29 of the principal law as amended stipulates that candidate seeking for office of council chairman, shall be duly elected, and that if they are the only candidate nominated and have secured a majority of YES votes, with not less than one-third of the YES votes cast in at least two-thirds of all wards in the local government area.
And if the only candidate fails to be elected under these conditions, a fresh nomination process shall be conducted
To beat the October 30, 2024 deadline for the conduct of local government elections, the state chief executive officer, Governor Otu, without hesitation quickly assented to the amended bill for elections to hold before the stipulated deadline for conduct of councils poll.
The state Independent Electoral Commission, CROSIEC, however called for a meeting with 19 political parties and released election time-table to enable political parties participate in October 26 local government elections.
As a way of showing solidarity to conduct of the much agitated local council election, IPAC, through its state chairman, Engr. Edet-Okon, lauded Governor Otu for heeding to IPAC’s demand, and accepted to partner CROSIEC for the conduct of local government election.
The IPAC chairman said, “We equally call on the good people of our dear state to get involved in the process that will herald grassroots governance.”
