Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade yesterday assured the people that there would be a peaceful atmosphere for the 2023 general election.
He spoke while receiving the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Alalibo Johnson, at the Governor’s Office in Calabar.
The governor advised Johnson on free, fair and credible elections, saying given the REC’s track records and integrity, he had no doubt that he would perform.
He said: “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.”
Ayade hailed the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, “who has distinguished himself in this country.”
Dr. Johnson stressed the need for a conducive atmosphere, saying “this is what is needed for free and fair elections to thrive.
“There is no way we can conduct a free and fair election without security. We call on you to use your good offices to ensure we have peace in the state.”
The REC said about 90,000 uncollected permanent voter cards (PVCs) were listed across the 18 local governments and appealed to the registrants to come forward and pick them up.
With the creation of new polling units, Cross River now has 3281 polling units.