Cross River State Commissioner for Information, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, has challenged opposition politicians to abandon what he described as rudimentary political rhetoric and summon the intellectual courage to engage Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s administration on its policies, programmes and verifiable performance.
Cobham issued the challenge on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, during an interactive session with journalists at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar, saying the opposition must raise the quality of its political discourse if it genuinely intends to be taken seriously by Cross Riverians.
The Commissioner particularly challenged the PDP governorship candidate, Sir Arthur Jarvis Archibong, to an open public debate on the policies, programmes and performance of the Otu administration, rather than relying on what he described as shallow political arguments and personal attacks.
“I would wish that we strive to the strata where this candidate would be able to engage the Governor on policies and programmes. Let us have a debate. Come with strong reasons. Educate themselves to the strata we are operating under,” he said.
Cobham said recent criticisms directed at Governor Otu, including claims that the Governor had not spent up to 10 days in Cross River in any month since assuming office, exposed what he described as the opposition’s poor understanding of contemporary governance and the workings of Nigeria’s pseudo-federal system.
He argued that in the 21st century, physical presence within a state could not be the yardstick for measuring the effectiveness of a Governor, particularly when strategic engagements outside the state were producing tangible benefits for Cross River.
“Is it in this 21st century of the modern world that somebody would talk about where the government is operating from? Talk about the record, the performance index at this point in time,” Cobham said.
He challenged the opposition to stop hiding behind what he called “rudimentary” arguments and produce evidence of where the administration had failed.
“Reel out what you think the government has not been able to achieve. Come up with strong reasons, and let us engage,” he said, adding that critics should “educate themselves to the strata we are operating under.”
Cobham said the administration’s strategic engagements outside Cross River had yielded significant results, pointing to efforts to secure funding from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) for the Bakassi Deep Seaport and the sustained push to have Cross River formally recognised as an oil-producing state.
He said such engagements were necessary because Cross River could not achieve its development objectives by operating in isolation from the Federal Government and other strategic institutions.
The Commissioner also accused the opposition of losing sight of the condition of Cross River in 2023 and the progress recorded under the Otu administration, insisting that political criticism should be based on facts, comparative performance and alternative policy propositions rather than what he described as “desperation” and “intellectual inability.”
“Let them call once for a debate. Let them try and raise the bar,” Cobham said, insisting that the opposition must demonstrate the capacity to interrogate government policies at the level at which they are formulated and implemented.
On the prosecution of social media commentator, Mr Dennis Odama, Cobham clarified that the state government, as an institution, did not institute the legal proceedings. He said the Special Adviser on General Duties and the Commissioner for Works filed the petition in their personal capacities over alleged defamatory and insolent remarks concerning the Governor.
He cautioned against turning the matter into a political controversy, stressing that the case remained subject to due process and should be allowed to run its course before the courts.
Responding to criticisms attributed to former APC state chairman and PDP deputy governorship candidate, Barr. Alphonsus Eba, the Commissioner said the administration would not be distracted by individuals or drawn into endless political exchanges, but would remain focused on delivering its mandate to Cross Riverians.
On allegations of external political domination or attempts to “recolonise” Cross River’s political structure, Cobham assured that Governor Otu remained committed to protecting the state’s interests, resources and political sovereignty.
He also announced a new media strategy under which the Ministry of Information would organise regular media tours to enable journalists independently inspect and verify government-funded projects across the state.
Cobham said the initiative would strengthen transparency, expose the administration’s performance to public scrutiny and ensure that political claims about government activities could be tested against facts on the ground.
By Kingsley Agim
