Cross River to conduct LG election in December

The Chairman of the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC), Dr. Edet Ekong Bocco, says that the state will conduct the local council election by December this year.

The chairman revealed this on Tuesday during a courtesy call by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Cross River State Council, at his office in Calabar.

He said the commission is ready to release its timetable for the forthcoming elections but is awaiting approval from the state governor, Senator Bassey Otu, who is out of the state on official engagement.

Dr. Bocco, who thanked the governor for their appointment, said they were carefully selected for the job, given his experience and involvement in election matters, having served in different capacities in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for several years before the appointment.

The chairman, who promised to deliver on their mandate, also pledged to provide a level playing field for all the political parties and candidates in the election.

While committing the electoral commission to work in synergy with the media throughout the entire process leading up to the election, he charged journalists to carry out their obligations by facilitating the full participation of the citizenry in the election.

“CROSIEC regards you, the fourth estate of the realm, as critical to the exercise of our mandate; therefore, we will continue to nurture the current synergy and cooperation with the media and other stakeholders.

“We are committed to our vision to be the best state Independent Electoral Commission in the country that meets the democratic aspirations of Nigerians.

“We are also ready to serve as an independent, effective, and honest state election management body (EMB) committed to the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections to strengthen democracy in the state,” he assured.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Cross River State Council, Comrade Archibong Bassey, who congratulated the chairman and other members of the commission on their appointment, urged them to bring their wealth of experience to bear in the conduct of the forthcoming election.

She pledged the preparedness of the media in the state to work in synergy with the commission for a successful conduct of the election.