LG poll: Confusion in APC as CROSIEC fixes May 30

INTRACTABLE crisis rocking Cross River State All
Progressives Congress (APC)
seems to be gathering mo- mentum as the two factions
of the party have issued conflicting statements on the
pending May 30, 2020 local
government election.
While a faction, led by John
Ochala had dissociated the
party from the pending local
government election, describing it as a charade, the other
faction, led by John Etim said
it is fully prepared to take part
in the council poll.
Since 2014, APC has been
engaged in a leadership tussle,
even as the national leadership has made spirited efforts
to settle the supremacy battle.
However, Chairman of
Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission
(CROSIEC), Mike Ushie, has
fixed Saturday, May 30, 2020
for local government election.
The election was originally scheduled for March
28, 2020 before the advent
of COVID-19. However, the
new date was contained in a
letter dated, May 22, 2020,
and entitled: “Notice of poll
with reference No CROSIEC/
PAD/002/26,” and signed by
Ushie.
The electoral umpire said
submission of names of polling unit agents by political
parties will end on May 28,
while the elections proper
will take place on May 30
just as voting will begin by
8:00am while election ends
at 3:00pm to give room for
collation and announcement
of results. Issuance of certificate of returns to successful
candidates will be done on
June 2, 2020
Kicking, Ochala, in a statement in Calabar on Monday,
said, ab initio, that the processes leading to the conduct
of Saturday, May 30, 2020 for
the elections for councillors
and chairmen/vice chairmen
of local governments in the
state have been froth with
gross irregularities and deliberate subversions of basic
constitutional requirements
guiding conduct of the elec- tion.
Ochala insisted that giving
a two to three days notice for
the conduct of an election of
the magnitude is not only ridiculous but irresponsible.
“APC will not be part of
the charade on Saturday as
the party is in court with
CROSIEC and Cross River
State Government seeking to
compel the electoral body to
adhere strictly to the dictates
of the constitution/acts of the
National Assembly and the
CROSIEC by-laws.”
Discountenancing Ochala’s
statement, Etim, in another
release captioned: “Stop
press” and dated May 26,
2020, said Ochala lacks locus
standi to speak for the party
as he is neither the state APC
chairman nor a member of
State Working Committee
(SWC).
Etim said in the event of
any irregularities discovered
in the build up to the election,
“boycott is not an option,”
noting that “by our extant
laws only a candidate in an
election or participating political party in an election can
validly question its conduct.