The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged triumphant in the local government elections held in Cross River and Nasarawa states on Saturday, winning every available chairmanship position. In Cross River, the APC claimed victory in all 18 local government areas, while in Nasarawa, the party captured 13 chairmanship seats, sweeping nearly all council wards.
Dr Ekong Boco, Chairman of the Cross River State Electoral Commission, announced the results on Sunday at the commission’s headquarters in Calabar. The APC recorded unchallenged wins in areas including Abi, Odukpani, Bakassi, and Calabar Municipality, with certificates of return promptly awarded to all chairmanship winners following the declaration.
Cross River Governor Bassey Otu commended the APC’s success, lauding the peaceful nature of the elections. He urged the newly elected local government leaders to embrace his administration’s “people-first” agenda, aimed at bringing effective governance to the grassroots. “We have a clear vision for Cross River State,” Otu remarked. “I believe the new local government leaders will align with our goals and demonstrate commitment to realising good governance.”
Nine opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, participated in the Cross River election, though their candidates were absent in several of the 196 local council wards.
In Nasarawa State, the APC similarly clinched a dominant share of the votes, winning 140 out of 147 wards. The remaining seven seats were divided between the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which won five seats, and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), which claimed two. Ayuba Wandai Usman, Chairman of the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission, declared the results on Sunday in Lafia.
The APC’s chairmanship victories in Nasarawa spanned key areas, including Lafia, with 217,573 votes, Doma (70,545 votes), and Keffi (74,419 votes). The SDP secured four councillorship seats in Nasarawa-Eggon and one in Keffi, while the ZLP claimed two seats in Doma.
Usman praised Nasarawa residents for their commitment to peaceful elections, saying the process was smooth and orderly. “The people of Nasarawa have once again shown their dedication to democracy at the grassroots,” he stated.
