Abuja, Oct. 9, 2024 (TheGavel) – A lawyer, Mr. Eric Ifere, has raised serious concerns regarding alleged undemocratic practices by the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) and the state’s House of Assembly in a complaint directed to Governor Bassey Otu and other officials. Ifere is representing Mr. Uket Ifere, a Labour Party (LP) chairmanship aspirant for the upcoming local government elections scheduled for November 2.
In a letter referenced IFERE/ELECTION LG 001/2024, which was made available to the media, Ifere criticized the recent amendments made to the CROSIEC Law 2002, stating they were poorly drafted and contradicted existing electoral timelines, thereby infringing upon the rights of his client as an LP member aspiring for the chairmanship position in Yakurr Local Government Council.
One of the major points raised by Ifere was the alleged illegality surrounding the amendment process, which was presided over by an unelected speaker of the assembly. He noted that Mr. Elvert Ayambem had been removed from his position as Speaker on May 22, 2024, after 17 out of 25 members of the assembly voted for his impeachment, citing gross financial misconduct and violations of the state’s Funds Management Laws. Since then, Ifere claims Ayambem has not been validly reinstated, making the subsequent passing of the CROSIEC amendment legally questionable.
“The Cross River State Local Government Commission Electoral (Amendment 2024) is invalid, and all actions carried out under this law are unlawful, null, and void,” Ifere asserted. He expressed confidence that his client would likely succeed in a claim at the high court to enforce his rights and have the amendment declared illegal.
Ifere also highlighted that CROSIEC’s imposition of a N1 million fee for chairmanship aspirants and N200,000 for councillorship aspirants was unconstitutional and arbitrary. He argued that the timetable published on October 5 violated provisions of Section 20 of the CROSIEC Law (2002), making it difficult for political parties to provide the required 21-day notice to CROSIEC for holding congresses to nominate candidates.
In his plea, Ifere urged the governor and other officials to take immediate action to amend these unlawful laws and ensure a transparent electoral process. He called for a lawful election of a speaker to preside over the assembly and revisions to the CROSIEC timetable to align with the electoral laws.
“If these issues are not addressed, we risk a flagrant abuse of our democratic process, which must be avoided,” he warned. Ifere indicated that legal action would be pursued against the state government, the assembly, and CROSIEC if no resolution was reached within 48 hours. (NAN)
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