The Cross River State Government has declared Friday a public holiday to allow for thorough preparation ahead of Saturday’s local elections.
Ekong Boco, Chairperson of the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC), announced that 10 political parties will be participating in the elections. This statement was made on Thursday in Calabar during the distribution of sensitive election materials to the 18 local government areas across the state.
Boco clarified that despite rumours, the materials had not yet been distributed to the council areas. He also displayed the ballot papers publicly before distribution began, assuring political parties of the commission’s transparency.
“We will be utilizing 3,281 polling units, as approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and deploying 9,843 ad-hoc staff, including 460 supervisors, 18 returning officers, and 198 collation officers,” he stated.
Boco further emphasised that all ad-hoc staff, including the returning officers and ward collation officers, received training from October 25 to October 27. He expressed confidence in their ability to conduct themselves professionally during the election.
“We are committed to ensuring the process is transparent and that the commission operates with integrity,” Boco said.
The election will be conducted manually, with voting scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and close at 2 p.m.
Effiom Edet, the State Chairperson of the Inter-party Advisory Council, expressed confidence in the integrity of the election, stating, “We are assured that the election will be free, fair, and credible. We have seen no evidence of results being pre-signed for any political party, and we want to assure the public that such practices will not occur.”
The state government’s declaration of Friday as a public holiday is aimed at ensuring smooth and effective preparations for the polls.
