By Christian Njoku
Gov. Bassey Otu of Cross River, on Monday in Ikom, flagged off All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign for the local government elections in the state scheduled for Nov. 2 .
Otu, represented by his deputy, Mr Peter Odey, performed the formal flag-off at the Ikom Township Stadium, 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 panacea to rural development, in line with his administration’s “People First” mantra.
While assuring the citizens of the state, Otu said: “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 APC candidates, saying that their victory would ensure the continuity of the state’s socio-economic and developmental strides.
Addressing the rally, the State Chairman of APC, Mr Alphonsus Eba, commended the governor for his transparent and inclusive leadership, which, he said, had brought overwhelming support to his administration and the party.
Eba, however, urged party supporters, including those who were not successful in their candidacies, to prioritise the unity and success of APC in the polls on Saturday.
On his part, Speaker of the state River House of Assembly, Mr Elvert Ayambem, called for reconciliation within the party to strengthen unity ahead of the elections.
Ayambem noted that the basic duty of a political party was not just to win elections but to engender harmony amongst its teeming members.
The highpoint of the event was the presentation of flags to all the 18 APC chairmanship candidates by the state chairman.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that local government election, earlier scheduled for Oct. 26, was shifted to Nov. 2 when political parties asked for more time to campaign and sensitise the electorate.
