IPAC gives C’River govt Dec. 2024 deadline to conduct LG elections
Ani Bassey
The Cross River State chapter of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has given the Cross River State government up till December 2024 to conduct local council elections.
The council threatened to ask the federal government to stop funding the eighteen local government areas in the state of the government fails to meet the deadline.
Engr. Effiom Edet, the state chairman of the council gave the ultimatum in Calabar during a briefing alongside other officials.
“In line with the ruling of the Supreme Court on local government autonomy, IPAC demands that the government conducts the long awaited local government elections before December, 2024.
“Failure to conduct the elections promptly, the council will not hesitate to ask the federal government to stop sending allocations to the 18 local government areas in the state”, he said.
IPAC commended the State house of assembly for amending contentious sections of the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission, CROSIEC Bill saying it reflects a broader consensus of critical stakeholders.
The council urged the governor to assent to the bill to enable the conduct of local government elections in the state.
The Cross River State government recently reconstituted the board of CROSIEC and the assembly amended the law setting up the commission to facilitate the conduct of local government elections.
A date for the elections has not been fixed but stakeholders expect the polls to take place within the year.
