Stakeholders from the five Local Government Areas of Cross River State’s Northern Senatorial District have validated Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s second-term bid, reaffirming their support for his administration and calling for strong bloc votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
The stakeholders made their position known on Saturday during the Northern Senatorial District sensitisation tour of the Cross River State Consultative Forum at the Ogoja Local Government Council Headquarters, after a sensitisation walk from Ajengnle Junction to the venue of the engagement.
The forum brought together political leaders, traditional rulers, youths, women and other stakeholders from Ogoja, Obanliku, Obudu, Yala and Bekwarra, providing an opportunity for the people to assess the Otu administration and articulate their expectations ahead of the 2027 elections.
Chairman of the Elders Advisory Council and former Governor of the state, Chief Clement Ebri, said the tour, organised by the Consultative Forum, enabled the Council and the Forum to obtain first-hand information from the people on their assessment of the administration.
“We are more like a fact-finding team,” Ebri said, explaining that the team would also hold private engagements with stakeholders to hear concerns that might not be expressed publicly before briefing Governor Otu on the people’s views.
He said the Governor had asked the elders for good advice and had demonstrated a willingness to listen and make adjustments whenever genuine shortcomings were brought to his attention, urging the people to be patient as the administration addresses inherited infrastructure and other development challenges.
Ebri also commended Otu’s efforts in the campaign to restore Cross River’s oil-producing status, saying the matter, which had been neglected for years, had received renewed attention under the present administration. He urged the people to support the Governor’s second-term bid and give Tinubu a strong bloc vote, arguing that such support would strengthen Cross River’s recognition and bargaining position at the national level.
Chairman of the Consultative Forum, Barr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo, said the Ogoja engagement was the Forum’s first outing in the Northern Senatorial District, thanking the people for their continued support for Otu. He described the gathering as an engagement among friends, brothers and stakeholders of like minds rather than a campaign rally.
Ekpo said the response from the five LGAs amounted to a strong affirmation of the Governor’s second-term bid, urging the people to sustain mobilisation for Otu and Tinubu while ensuring that their votes counted in 2027. He also called for fact-based criticism of government and peaceful political engagement.
The State Chairman of the APC, Rt. Hon. Chris Etta, presented by his Deputy Chairman, Rt. Hon. Ugana Lukpata, commended the stakeholders for their commitments and urged the party to intensify grassroots mobilisation. Etta said the APC must reach both members and non-members, declaring that “we cannot record anything below five over five” in support of its candidates.
Etta highlighted ongoing projects across the Northern Senatorial District and said the improved relationship between the state and Federal Government had strengthened Cross River’s efforts to recover its oil assets. He said Cross River had 46 oil wells in its coffers, with exploration already commenced, and urged continued support for Otu and Tinubu to sustain the gains recorded by the state.
The communiqué issued at the end of the engagement acknowledged ongoing projects and interventions under the Otu administration, reaffirmed stakeholders’ support for the continuity of the Governor and President Tinubu, and called for completion of ongoing projects and sustained attention to development needs across the district.
The stakeholders resolved to intensify grassroots mobilisation, sustain peaceful political engagement and deepen consultations with communities and political stakeholders, while reaffirming support for Tinubu, Otu and other APC candidates at the national, state and local levels. The communiqué was unanimously adopted and signed by the Forum’s Chairman, Barr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo; Secretary, Dr Julius Okputu; Chairman of the Drafting Committee, Ntufam (Barr.) Fidelis Ugbo; and Secretary, Prof. Michael Okom.
By Kingsley Agim
