Gov Otu flags off APC campaign for Cross River local elections

Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State, on Monday in Ikom, flagged off the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign for the local elections in the state.

The election is scheduled for 2 November.

Mr Otu, represented by the Deputy Governor of the state, Peter Odey, performed the formal flag-off at the Ikom Township Stadium, and congratulated all the party’s chairmanship and councillorship candidates.

He acknowledged the rigorous and transparent exercise that led to their emergence.

The governor stressed the critical role of local government administration in Nigeria’s democracy, describing it as the remedy to lack of development in rural areas.

While assuring the state’s residents that “the current administration, through the Cross River Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC), is poised to conduct a free, fair and credible poll,” he urged the people of the state to support the APC candidates.

He said that their victory would ensure the continuity of his administration’s effort to take development to the rural communities.

Addressing the rally, the State Chairperson of the APC, Alphonsus Eba, commended the governor for his transparent and inclusive leadership, which he said had brought “overwhelming support” to his administration and the APC.

Mr Eba, however, urged party supporters, including those who were not successful in their candidacies, to prioritise the unity and success of the APC in the polls on Saturday.

On his part, the Speaker of the Cross River House of Assembly, Elvert Ayambem, called for reconciliation within the party to strengthen the unity ahead of the elections.

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Mr Ayambem noted that the basic duty of a political party was not just to win elections but to engender harmony among its members.

The high point of the event was the presentation of flags to all the 18 APC chairmanship candidates by the state chairperson of the party.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the local election, earlier scheduled for 26 October was shifted to 2 November because the political parties asked for more time to campaign and sensitise the electorate.