The Cross River State Chapter of Renewed Hope Ambassadors has stepped up preparations for the 2027 general elections, unveiling an extensive grassroots mobilisation drive to rally support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Bassey Otu.
The State Coordinator, Ambassador Soni Abang, who is also Executive Director, Finance, South-South Development Commission (SSDC), announced the mobilisation plans during a strategic meeting with local government coordinators and newly appointed women coordinators in Calabar, expressing confidence in the group’s capacity to build a formidable support base for the All Progressives Congress (APC) across Cross River.
Abang described Renewed Hope Ambassadors as a political mobilisation platform established by President Tinubu to promote the policies and achievements of his administration and galvanise grassroots support for his re-election. He said the Cross River chapter was equally committed to securing a second term for Governor Otu through coordinated community engagement and voter mobilisation.
He explained that the group would establish an effective mobilisation network across the state’s 18 local government areas, wards and polling units, with local government coordinators expected to work closely with council chairmen and APC chapter leaders to strengthen the party’s grassroots structures.
“Our responsibility is to take the message of Renewed Hope to every community in Cross River. We must reach the people, engage them on the achievements of both administrations and mobilise their support for President Tinubu and Governor Otu ahead of 2027,” Abang said.
The State Coordinator disclosed that close to 500 registered support groups had been identified across the state, describing the network as a valuable mobilisation base that would be integrated into a coordinated structure to advance the group’s electoral objectives.
He charged the coordinators to bring the various groups together, harmonise their activities and ensure that their collective strength translated into effective voter engagement across the state.
Abang also commended the impressive turnout at the recent APC rally in Calabar, noting that the commendation received from the national leadership of Renewed Hope Ambassadors reflected the group’s mobilisation capacity. He urged members to sustain the momentum and reproduce the level of participation in other local government areas.
He warned against voter apathy, emphasising that successful political mobilisation required more than rallies, convoys and public gatherings. According to him, members must establish direct contact with residents, listen to their concerns and communicate the achievements and policy direction of both administrations.
“Rallies are important, but the real work is in the communities. We must go from door to door, engage our people, explain what the governments have achieved and make a compelling appeal for their support at the polls,” he said.
Director-General of the Cross River APC Campaign Council, Senator (Prof.) Stephen Odey, urged the coordinators to take ownership of the mobilisation process in their respective communities and reach out to residents who might feel disconnected from the political structure.
Odey emphasised the importance of inclusive engagement, grassroots participation and effective coordination, assuring the group of the campaign council’s support in achieving its mobilisation objectives.
The Governor’s Chief of Staff, Chief Emmanuel Ironbar, commended the increasing participation of women in the political structure and called for unity among APC support groups, urging them to put aside rivalry and work collectively towards the party’s objectives in 2027.
Ironbar also highlighted the Otu administration’s activities in health, education and infrastructure, charging the coordinators to take information about government projects and programmes to the people and use community engagement to strengthen public understanding of the administration’s performance.
The APC State Chairman, Rt. Hon. Sunny Etta, described Renewed Hope Ambassadors as an important component of the party’s mobilisation structure ahead of the presidential and governorship elections. He urged members to enlighten residents on the Federal Government’s economic reforms and the development opportunities emerging in Cross River.
Etta particularly highlighted the proposed headquarters of the Gulf of Guinea Commission in Calabar, the Bakassi Deep Seaport and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, alongside the state’s oil and maritime resources, as strategic opportunities that should feature prominently in the group’s engagements with residents.
The meeting reaffirmed the group’s commitment to building a coordinated grassroots campaign network, and taking its mobilisation activities to communities and polling units across Cross River in pursuit of support for Tinubu’s re-election and Otu’s second-term ambition in 2027.
By Kingsley Agim
