Uncertainty over council polls in Cross River

Our Reporter

 

The crisis rocking the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State is posing a huge threat to the local government elections scheduled for March 28.

Some aggrieved aspirants have called on the national leadership of the party to cancel the entire process.

A former Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Goddy Akpama, has passed a vote of no confidence on the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC).

According to him, “the timetable released for the elections on January 29, which was supposed to be the deadline for the submission of names by political parties to the commission, has dubiously shifted this deadline by one week at the convenience of the one out of the several political parties that would be participating in the elections, which is the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)”.

He added: “CROSIEC is clearly not independent. The Commission is clearly not independent and cannot act as the umpire in the upcoming elections.”

Aggrieved PDP aspirants from the three senatorial zones, who are challenging the conduct of the controversial party primaries said: “The recently released list of candidates of the party falls short of the provisions of the party and the danger of losing the state looms by this act of outright imposition and impunity”.

The candidates in a petition to the National Chairman of the party and signed by  twelve candidates,  including Godwin Offiono (Yala), Naku John ( Ogoja LGA), Ikpi Ubana Eyong Yakurr LGA) Obi Stephen Owan (Etung LGA) and Orok Bassey Duke (Odukpani LGA), said: “The party should do the right thing else the Zamfara episode which the party benefitted from may be used against it.”

They added: “What happened in the State was a meeting of a few people  who wrote names and forwarded same to CROSIEC as candidates of the party.

We therefore respectfully urge you to admonish the leadership of the party in Cross River State, to cancel the entire process, which was a sham and conduct fresh primary elections for the emergence of candidates.

“We foresee danger ahead for the party if Cross River State Government does not do the right thing, the precedent in Zamfara state is too fresh that our memory will be aloof, we benefitted.

Otherwise, the danger of losing Cross River State as a PDP state to the opposition parties is gradually looming by this act of outright imposition and impunity”, they added.

The aspirants said that, from the beginning,  activities in the time table were not observed, no forms,  neither interest nor nomination was made available to the candidates despite the fact that  some aspirants  made payment to the party’s account.

They added that rather than do the right thing as stipulated by the constitution of the party, on January 30, some groups of persons  appeared with heavily armed soldiers and policemen and affirmed persons hitherto published as candidates  in contravention of the date for submission of list of candidates by political parties.

Read Also: Council polls: Ondo APC set for primaries 

 

Akpama said: “As a former chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), also a former chairman of a political party in the state, I am saying, CROSIEC is not competent to conduct the local government elections. They lack a sense of fairness and decency to do so.”

“Their plot to hijack the process in favor of PDP is clearly in the exorbitant fees to be paid by candidates… CROSIEC guidelines, Nomination deposit the last election was Chairman: N100,000, Councilor: N30, 000 for nomination paper.

Today’s CROSIEC – N350,000 for Chairman and N150,000 for Councilor. This is strange and worrisome. It will deprive the right choice of people of candidates, who may not be able to afford the above.

Democracy has been Commercialized by CROSIEC and Political parties Reps are doing nothing about it. Sad for our democracy”.

“By what has played out so far, it is evident that any other political party running for the election is doing so just for participatory sake because the bias they have shown is the same way they would award victory to candidates of their choice, PDP without letting actual votes count.”

“CROSIEC, as we right now, is not fit to conduct the local government election in Cross River, even if they does,  it will be remembered  in history as the worst State Electoral Commission ever in CRS”