No fewer than 1,000 aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State have indicated interest in contesting the forthcoming local government council election slated for November 2, 2024.

The Guardian reports that the aspirants, who have been thronging the state party secretariat along Murtala Mohammed Highway, Calabar, for days now, paid N100,000 for the expression of intent form and N45,000 party dues for chairmanship aspirants, while the councillorship aspirants also paid N20,000 for the expression of intent form and N45,000 as party dues.

Though the cost of the nomination form for chairmanship aspirants was initially pegged at N5 million by the State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) and N2 million for councillorship aspirants, the fees were significantly slashed to one million naira and N200,000, respectively.

The aspirants who spoke in separate interviews with The Guardian in Calabar thanked the governor, Senator Bassey Otu, for subsidising the fee, saying that the gesture has given all genuine aspirants the leverage to pursue their aspirations.

While expressing confidence in the leadership of the party in the state, they, however, called for a level playing ground for the conduct of a peaceful, free, and fair party primary election.

A very reliable source in the party executive told The Guardian that the party may resort to zoning and consensus arrangements to choose the party candidates for the election.

The source said the party is working hard to ensure a seamless process that would produce credible candidates capable of winning the local government council election.