Cross River Governor , Senator Bassey Otu (5th from left), flanked on his right by Mr. Samuel Yarnap, the Congress Committee Chairman and others after the conduct of the Ward and Local Government Congresses in the state, at weekend.
By Anietie Akpan
The just-concluded ward and local government congresses in Cross River State is the most peaceful and best conducted exercise in the country.
The Chairman of the State Congress Committee, Mr. Samuel Yarnap, declared this as he emphatically dismissed claims that the process did not hold in Ikom Local Government Area (LGA).
Addressing journalists in Calabar at the close of the exercise conducted between February 18 and 21, Yarnap described the congress as a model of transparency, discipline and unity.
“Since we arrived on the 17th and monitored the ward congress on the 18th through to the local government congress, what we have witnessed,” he said, “might be the best congress ever conducted in the entire country”, he said.
He stressed that the exercise was devoid of rancour, violence or parallel structures, noting that party members across the 18 LGAs conducted themselves with loyalty and decorum.
“It has been very peaceful. The party members have shown uncommon coordination and support. We are impressed. I am very sure the National Chairman is equally proud,” Yarnap stated, revealing that real-time updates and video evidence were forwarded to the national leadership.
“He responded to us that he is proud and happy that Cross River State did not disappoint at all,” Yarnap disclosed, adding that the atmosphere of peace in the state under Governor Senator Bassey Edet Otu significantly contributed to the success of the exercise. “We have a peaceful, God-fearing governor, and the people love him. That spirit was evident everywhere.”
Governor Otu, who monitored the proceedings, described the congress as smooth and purposeful saying , “the exercise has been very smooth and peaceful. There were no hitches or problems anywhere at all.” He further emphasized that the unity displayed by party faithful reflected a shared commitment to national political objectives. “You can see that all our party members are peaceful. The officials who witnessed it are very satisfied with the exercise.”
Against this backdrop of overwhelming commendation, claims by the Chairman of Ikom Local Government Area, Mrs. Mercy Nsor, alleging that the congress did not hold in Ikom, were strongly deprecated and categorically dismissed by party officials and members of the monitoring committee.
Multiple party stakeholders and accredited delegates from Ikom confirmed that the congress was duly conducted in line with approved guidelines.
Attendance registers were completed, officials were present, and voting processes were carried out peacefully. “The congress held in Ikom like every other local government,” a senior party source asserted. “To suggest otherwise is to disregard documented facts and the testimony of those who participated.”
Yarnap himself reaffirmed the comprehensiveness of the oversight process. “We went round before concluding. What we have seen is transparency and order,” he said firmly. “Cross River State has conducted the best congress. It was peaceful, coordinated and credible.”
Party leaders maintained that the claim that the congress did not hold in Ikom does not reflect the general consensus across the state, where observers and participants alike have hailed the exercise as free, fair and transparent. They described the allegation as isolated and inconsistent with verifiable evidence on ground.
With the successful completion of the ward and local government congresses, Cross River State now stands as a reference point for orderly internal democracy as Mr. Samuel Yarnap succinctly put it, “This is the best congress ever,” a declaration that continues to resonate across the state, firmly outweighing dissenting voices.
