Stakeholders Kick Over CROSIEC Imposition Of N6m Fees For October 26 LG Elections, Threaten Mass Protest
By Judex OKORO
Stakeholders across political parties and some Civil Society groups have called on Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) to immediately reverse itself on the N6m mandatory fees imposed will disenfranchise aspirants or candidates wishing to contest local government elections.
CROSIEC law had stated the sum of five million Naira (N5m) for chairmanship candidates and one million Naira (N1m) for councillorship candidates wishing to participate in the October 26, 2024 polls.
In a statement dated September 26, 2024 and made available to THE BEAGLE NEWS and signed by Comrade Austine Ibok, on behalf of Concerned Stakeholders, some political parties and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), it stated that the CROSIEC law is not only exorbitant but unconstitutional, demanding urgent reversal of such law or face mass protest.
The statement accused the State Law makers of being a lackey in the hands of executive, adding that Rt. Hon.Elvert Anyambem-led 9th Assembly has been turned into a chess-board by powers-that-be in the state.
The statement addressed the the CROSIEC Chairman and copied chairmen of PDP, LP, YDP, YPP and IPAC, read in part:"I write to you on behalf of concerned stakeholders and political parties in Cross River State to urgently request the reversal of the outrageous fees imposed on Chairmanship and Councillorship candidates ahead of the forthcoming Local Government elections.
₦5m for chairmanship candidates and ₦1m for councillorship candidates as mandated by the CROSIEC law is not only exorbitant but unconstitutional.
"It disenfranchises capable individuals who are committed to serving their communities but do not have the financial means to meet these excessive demands. Democracy is meant to foster equal participation and not to be sold to the highest bidder.
"It is important to note that these fees violate the fundamental rights of citizens to freely participate in governance as guaranteed by Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution and Article 13 (1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
"By pegging the right to contest to such outrageous amount, the Commissioner are deliberately undermining the democratic process and restricting political participation to a few individuals with access to significant financial resources. In other words, have discreetly and effectively shut out other political parties from the electoral process.
"We hereby give CROSIEC twenty four hours to reverse this unjust policy and return the fees to a reasonable level that reflects the democratic spirit of inclusivity and fairness.
"Failure to do so will result in massive protest to both the Governor's Office and CROSIEC headquarters in Calabar. This protest will involve concerned citizens, political parties, and civil society groups who will not stand by while the democratic rights of the people are trampled upon."
Ibok called on leadership of all political parties to join in writing directly to CROSIEC to demand immediate action on this matter, insisting that Cross Riverians can no longer remain silent in the face of injustice.
