C-River Ready For LG Polls As Gov Otu Signs Electoral Law
BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – After months of quietness that kept political actors in the State worried, Governor Bassey Otu has now set the stage to conduct the long-awaited Local government elections by signing into law the amended Cross River State Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) Bill.
According to Governor Otu, the law, which provides a four-year tenure for elected local government officials, would effectively drive development and offer the people at the grassroots level a real taste of democratic dividends.
Speaking while assenting to the amended bill passed by the State House of Assembly, Governor Otu said; “Our people at the grassroots level would soon smile as the stage is now set for democracy to flourish at the level of government which is closer to them”
The amended law was necessitated by the recent Supreme Court judgment that granted autonomy to Local governments and made it mandatory for local councils to be headed by elected officials as provided in the constitution.
Prince Otu expressed his administration’s resolve to have the Councils’ elections conducted according to the provisions of the law, saying; “Local government is very important. That is the government that is closer to the people than any other government that we have in the Federation.
“We want this particular segment of our government to be active so that the dividends of democracy will trickle right down to the downtrodden and the people who need it most.”
He commended the Speaker and the State Assembly as well as the State Electoral Commission for ensuring “we have an up-to-date act that is ready to put the third tier of government into office.
“I want to appreciate the fact that you’ve done a good job and I know that Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC), will soon be announcing the date for the election and people will be ready; so that we will follow the rules of the game”.
Meanwhile, addressing journalists on the amended law, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem said; “What we have done today is in line with the Supreme Court judgment that was passed ab initio, and the Otu-led government being a proactive one, decided that the third-tier government must come up almost immediately.”
“For some time, we have not had the opportunity of having substantive chairmen in their right places of authority. And the governor thought it wise that we need to come up with the conduct of local government election. The Assembly, in her wisdom, looked at the CROSIEC laws and realized that some grey areas needed urgent attention. And those grey areas have been largely attended to.”
He said among the cardinal points addressed by the amendment was the tenure of Chairmen and Councilors which was reviewed from three to four years to be at par with their elected counterparts at both the state and federal levels.
Offering assurance that the State Government is committed to holding local government elections before the end of 2024, Ayambem said; “As the Supreme Court judgment rightly had outlined in its ruling, the third tier of government should enjoy the same status as that of the Executive, the status of a governor, and the status of a President where they have a tenure of four years in office and not three years at it were.
“So, we looked at it in consonance with the Supreme Court judgment. All we have done is to align strictly with what the Supreme Court directed.
