IPAC gives Governor Otu 3 months to conduct suspended LGA polls in Cross River

This ultimatum comes after the state government had initially begun preparations for the polls in May 2022, only to postpone them due to the general elections held in February and March 2023.

The last announced date for the local government elections in Cross River State was October 21, 2023. However, IPAC has raised concerns over the governor's silence regarding this critical matter in his recent public address, marking his 100 days in office.

In a joint statement signed by the State Chairman, Comrade Anthony Attah, and the Secretary, Pastor Ntami Esege, IPAC expressed its disappointment, stating, "We had declared a deserved honeymoon for the new administration, but were however shocked that in his Press Conference last week to mark his 100 days in office, nothing was said about the administrative lacuna in our Local Government Councils. This clearly shows that the governor is yet to prioritise Local Government administration."

Governor Bassey Otu's previous experience as a federal legislator at both the upper and lower chambers has led IPAC to believe that he should lead by example and give due importance to local governance.

The organisation emphasised that the people of Cross River State can no longer tolerate the imposition of illegal Heads of Local Government Administration (HOLGA). They pointed out that several other states in the country have successfully concluded their local council elections, while others are gearing up for theirs.

"Moreover, Taraba State, with a new governor just like us, has scheduled her Local Government election to hold on the 18th of November, 2023. These are states that commenced the process about the same time as Cross River State. The reason these states are conducting elections hitherto postponed is because government is a continuum," the Cross River IPAC chapter declared.

In light of these developments, IPAC has called upon Governor Bassey Otu to instruct the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) to immediately resume work, as the people of Cross River can no longer tolerate the illegal and unconstitutional imposition of HOLGAs.