The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) achieved a remarkable victory in the recent local government elections held on Saturday, November 2, sweeping all 18 chairmanship positions in Cross River State and all 13 chairmanship seats in Nasarawa State.
The Chairman of the Cross River State Electoral Commission and the Returning Officer Ekong Boco officially announced the results on Sunday at the commission’s headquarters in Calabar.
The APC demonstrated a landslide win across all 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 issued to the victorious candidates. Governor Bassey Otu extended his congratulations, praising the elections as peaceful and expressing optimism that the newly elected local government leaders would align with his administration’s people-first agenda for the state. He stated, “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.”
In Nasarawa, the State Independent Electoral Commission reported that the APC won an overwhelming majority of the electoral wards, claiming 140 out of 147. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) managed to secure five and two seats, respectively. Ayuba Wandai Usman, the Chairman of NASIEC, declared the results in Lafia, highlighting the peaceful nature of the election and expressing gratitude to residents for their commitment to democracy at the grassroots level.
The APC’s chairmanship candidates achieved significant vote counts across various local governments, including Lafia (217,573 votes), Doma (70,545 votes), and Karu (146,450 votes). Despite the participation of nine opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, many did not field candidates across the 196 local council wards in the 18 local government areas.
As the APC prepares to take the reins at both local government levels, the party’s leadership is expected to focus on implementing policies that align with the state government’s agenda, continuing their momentum in fostering governance and development at the grassroots.
