The ruling All Progressives Congress has swept all 18 chairmanship seats in the Cross River State local government elections held on Saturday, November 2, securing victories across the entire state.
The Chairman of the Cross River State Electoral Commission and the election’s returning officer, Dr. Ekong Boco, officially announced the results at the CROSIEC headquarters in Calabar on Sunday.
In his statement, Dr. Boco confirmed that the APC candidates won in each of the 18 Local Government Areas, including Abi, Odukpani, Bakassi, Akpabuyo, Ogoja, Akamkpa, Bekwarra, Etung, Biase, Boki, Calabar Municipality, Obubra, Yakurr, Yala, Obanliku, Obudu, Ikom, and Calabar South. Following the declaration, Certificates of Return were promptly awarded to the winning chairpersons.
Governor Bassey Otu extended his congratulations to the newly elected leaders and expressed his satisfaction with the peaceful nature of the election process. He emphasized his expectations that the new chairpersons will align their initiatives with his administration’s broader vision for the state.
“We have a well-defined vision for the state, and we believe the new leadership at the local government level would understand that they must align with the state government’s agenda and exhibit unwavering dedication to realizing good governance,” he said.
The election saw the participation of nine opposition parties, including the People’s Democratic Party and the Labour Party, though they did not field candidates across all 196 council wards in the 18 Local Government Areas of Cross River State.
With the APC now holding all chairmanship seats in Cross River, expectations are high for the alignment and cooperation between the state and local government leadership in delivering on development objectives.
