By Jonathan Ugbal
As the end of campaigns by candidates for the February 3rd, 2024, re-run elections in Cross River State, nears, CrossRiverWatch brings you some numbers and what you should know about the polls.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had on December 22, 2023, announced February 3, 2024, as the date for 44 bye-elections and re-run elections in the country. The figure included nine bye-elections resulting from the resignations or deaths of elected lawmakers and subsequent vacancies declared by the presiding officers of the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assemblies.
Also, re-run elections were announced for 35 constituencies resulting from the verdicts of the elections petition tribunals which end at the Court of Appeal. In Cross River, one Federal Constituency and Two State constituencies are affected.
The Court ordered re-runs will be held across four Local Government Areas, 18 Wards and 34 Polling Units with a potential 19,681 voters expected.
Akamkpa/Biase Federal Constituency
Elections will be conducted in both local governments that make up the constituency with 12 Wards or Registration Areas affected, and 19 Polling Units affected. There are 11,764 registered voters of which 11,650 have collected their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs.
The PVC collection rate stands at 99.03 percent.
In Biase, elections will be conducted in seven Wards and 11 Polling Units while in Akamkpa, the re-run elections will be conducted in five Wards and eight Polling Units.
Obanliku State Constituency
In Obanliku, the candidates will look to convince the 1,036 people who have collected their PVCs out of the 1,047 registered voters in two Polling Units – Bayaga Playground and Babuenkayang Playground of Bisu Ward to step out and vote for them.
The PVC collection rate in the area is slightly lower at 98.94 percent.
Yala 2 State Constituency
For Yala 2 State Constituency, re-run elections will be conducted in 13 Polling Units in five Wards of which 6995 out of 6999 registered voters have collected their PVCs representing a near perfect score of 99.94 percent.
BVAS Will Be Used – INEC Cross River
Meanwhile, the Head, Voter Education, and Publicity in the Cross River State office of INEC, Mrs. Anthonia Nwobi in a statement issued last week stressed that only “voters with Permanent Voters Card and are registered in the affected Polling Units are qualified to vote in this Election.”
She announced that BVAs will be deployed for accreditation and voting while elections will commence at 8:30 AM and will end by 2:30 PM. “However, those on the queue on or before 2:30 PM will be attended to.”
Also, the campaigns which began on January 5th, “must end on February 1st, 2024, according to the law,” the statement added.