Cross River: PDP To Participate In LG Election Only If BVAS Is Used – Venatius, Chairman

By Judex Okoro, The Sun Newspaper

Cross River State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Venatius Ikem, Esq. has stated that they would only participate in the Local Government Elections on the condition that Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is used to conduct polls.

The Chairman of Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) Dr. Mike Ushie, issued a notice that Local Government elections would be held on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, in line with the amended electoral act of 2022 which allows for 360 days’ notice of elections.

Ushie said, “in compliance with the provisions of Section 28(1) of the 2022 electoral act as amended, which allows 360 days for issuance of notice of election that marks the commencement, preparation, conduct, and conclusion of electoral activities, the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) hereby, today, Monday, May 30, 2022 issue notice of election for the 2023 Local Government Councils election in the State.”

And in readiness for the election, Ikem said the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party has formally approved that members can participate in the forthcoming local government elections as announced by CROSIEC.

In a statement signed by David Ukeh, Personal Assistant (PA) to State Chairman and made available to journalists in Calabar, Ikem said the decision to participate is based on the advice and resolution of the enlarged stakeholders’ meeting held on Sunday, August 14, 2022.

According to him, the party resolved to fully participate in the exercise so as not to jeopardize the ambition of young party members willing to test their popularity at the said elections at both Councillorship and Chairmanship levels.

The statement read in part: “The party said it arrived at this decision following guided legal advice on all legal implications surrounding the elections concluding that the guidelines issued by the electoral body indicate that the elections will be guided by the Electoral Act 2022 and the Local Government Law of Cross River State.

“Consequently, the party expressed confidence that she will hold the electoral body to account on the strict provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, including the use of the bimodal accreditation method popularly known as BVAS, which governs the conduct of elections into area councils and applies to all Local Government Councils elections in Nigeria.

“The party, therefore, advises all prospective aspirants on her platform to watch out as guidelines for participating in the elections will be released next week.”