By: Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar
The Chairman of the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) Dr Ekong Edet Boco has described the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) as one of the building blocs for sustainable democracy whose importance cannot be negated.
He stated this in Calabar when the Chairman of IPAC Cross River State Chapter Engr. Edet Effiom and his Executive paid him a courtesy call .
Boco said that interacting with them was one of the things he has been looking forward to since assumption of office, inview of their strategic role in the electoral process .
He commended their individual and collective contributions to the success of the activities of elections before now and at this time stating his belief that similar cooperation will be extended to the commission under his watch.
Said he, “I know that you all took part in the various elections that took place before now, I know that you are going to take part again in this particular election”.
Boco however used the occasion to remind everyone that election is not war but only a way of being able to chose our leaders and should be done in a rancour free environment that can only come through the support of IPAC as they are the owners of political parties.
“I plead with you as the doors are opened and you go to the field, please take the message to your members, we don’t need to fight each other, you need to talk to our people to support your candidate and then the best will be selected from amongst us”.
He promised that he and his team will bring their experiences to bear in the conduct of the forthcoming Local government election in the state assuring that a level playing field will be provided for all who will participate in the election.
“We will bring to bear that which God has endowed us with, that today we are placed in the saddle of conducting Cross River State local government election, we will do it and we will do it well.he assured”.
Speaking earlier, the State Chairman of IPAC Engr.Edet Effiom said, the visit was to familiarise themselves with the new commission saddled with the responsibility of conducting local government election adding that as partners with the electoral umpire, political parties in the state were ready to play their role to ensure the conduct of a free, fair, credible and peaceful election.
Earlier, the emeritus chairman of IPAC Comrade Anthony Bissong Attah, appealed to the commission to start the process of bringing out the election calendar stating that they were not out to monitor the Commission’s process but to work on partnership with them.
On his part, the Chairman, Local Government Affair and Election Monitoring committee Dr Ekpenyong Ambo expressed their willingness to work with the commission through the pre- election, and post-election period.
