Gov Otu signs amended electoral law , elected LG officials get 4 year tenure
Ani Bassey
In a move to reposition local government administration in Cross River State, Governor Bassey Otu has granted assent to the amended Cross River Electoral Law passed by the State House of Assembly.
The amendment by House of Assembly was necessitated by the Supreme Court’s verdict granting autonomy to local government.
Signing the amended Law, Governor Otu stated: “Let me thank Mr. Speaker and members of the House of Assembly, and of course, our own Electoral Commission for making sure that we have an up-to-date act that is ready to put the third tier of government into office.
“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.
“I want to appreciate the fact that you’ve done a good job and I know that Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) are going to announce the date for the election and people will be ready; so that we will follow the rules of the game.
“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”, the governor said.
Reacting, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem said what they have done is in line with the Supreme Court judgment that was passed ab initio.