IPAC Puts Cross River Govt On Alert Over Conduct Of LG Poll, Threatens To Stop Councils’ Allocation

By Ayodele Oni

Cross River State Chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) is towing the  Supreme Court position which ordered Local Governments in the Country to democratize or have their monthly allocation seized.

The State Chapter of IPAC has threatened Governor Bassey Otu to conduct Local Government Elections before December 2024 or risk possible ban on the Councils’ funds.

The body maintained that failure by the Cross River State Government to do the needful would warrant it approaching the Federal Government and taking all necessary steps to stop the Federation monthly allocations coming to local governments in the state.

IPAC, which issued the ultimatum on Friday at a press conference addressed by its State Chairman, Engineer Effiom Edet, challenged the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) to also publish the election timetable without further delay.

Accusing Governor Otu of seeming lukewarmness in assenting to the Cross River State Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) bill, IPAC said such attitude represents danger signals in the process of planning for the smooth conduct of the Councils’ polls.

The CROSIEC Bill was recently passed by the State House of Assembly, amending the existing law regulating the conduct of Councils’ elections in the State.

According to Cross River State IPAC Chairman, the governor’s delay in signing the bill into law is tantamount to the fact that the ruling All progressive Congress (APC) has sinister motives under their sleeves.

He said on the strength of recent Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy, “IPAC demands that the governor conducts the long awaited local government elections before the end of December, 2024.

“Failure to conduct the election promptly, the Council will not hesitate to ask the federal government to stop sending allocation to the 18 local government areas in the state.”

Engineer Edet, who was accompanied to the briefing by majority of opposition Parties’ Chairmen said; “Failure to hold local government elections in the state before the end of the year would amount to a clarion call for action.”

He maintained that IPAC is keeping close tap on the State government actions, and praised the  State House of Assembly and CROSIEC for living up to expectations with regard toward ensuring that the local government elections holds as planned.

For the body, all said and done, it also behooves on CROSIEC to “conduct of a free, fair, transparent, credible and peaceful local government elections in the state.”