2023: Cross River governor pledges peaceful atmosphere for electioneering
Governor of Cross River State Professor Ben Ayade pledged on Tuesday that the state's elections in 2023 will take place in a peaceful environment.
Ayade made the commitment while meeting Dr. Alalibo Sinikiem Johnson, the state's new resident electoral commissioner (REC), in the conference room of the governor's office in Calabar.
The Governor charged Dr. Johnson with ensuring that the state's elections were free, fair, and credible and added that, given the new REC's track record and honesty, he had no doubts about his ability to deliver.
According to the Governor, “On behalf of the good people of Cross River State, l hereby give you that commitment that we will guarantee you free and safe elections; we also call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to please honour its pledge too so that we can have free, fair, credible, reliable and dependable elections.
“Government is not going to in any way influence your process, but we want to say that we are available and willing to support you at all times that INEC will require our services.”
Ayade commendedthe INEC Chairman, ProfessorMahmood Yakubu “who has distinguished himself in this country.”
The Governor added, “Never before have we had an INEC Chairman who has enjoyed mutual trust from both the ruling party and the opposition parties.
“This is one chairman who has conducted his elections and results returned based on what is on the ground.
“He is not subject to any inducement, he is subject to the God that he serves and l want to say that his name would go down in history as one of the very best INEC Chairmen that we have ever had. God bless him and God will continue to sustain him.”