BY: Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar
The candidate for the gubernatorial election under the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Sen. Bassey Otu, has promised to partner with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), come May 29th, 2023 as the next governor.
He gave the assurance at the weekend when he visited the Exco and members of the union at the Chief Ernest Etim Bassey, Press Centre, Calabar to say thank you for the publicity given to him during the tour of the three senatorial districts of the state.
“We are going to work together with Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). The union should come together as one and develop your agenda so that is will be easy for us to collaborate and do th needful. We are not going to impose anything on the media, so develop your agenda and forward to us and regard it sealed”.
He expressed joy and happiness today having been able to come to say thank and as well as to consult you “gentle men of the press” over my ambition to run as the governor of Cross River State.
Otu said “any government that abandons this constituency does that at its own risk. I say so because whatever program or blueprint you have will be publicized by the media. The media can do and also undo hence you need to carry them along”.
According to him, “for the past seven weeks , my team have been on a Thank You Tour of the three senatorial districts of the state, to say thank you to delegates, Stakeholders and chiefs for their votes and support during the primaries of our party APC. We also use the opportunity to consult the people and also the need to come to NUJ to present myself as APC gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 general elections.”.
“My coming here today is not really for politics, but to appreciate your good work especially in terms of publicity. All through the tour your members accompanied us without any string attached to it . It was a great commitment and show of love, hence I insisted that as we finished yesterday I said the next group I must see is the media”.
He said this is not the first time he seeking for public office, adding “i have been in the House of Reps twice and Senate. In the House of Reps, I was the chairman of House Committees on Defense and Banks.You can not be given this kind of position to hold if you have not been tested. So I am coming here as a tested and trusted candidate.”
“Here is a man who is loved from Obanliku – Bakassi by his people. A man who understands the need of his people and is ready to solve them. A man who has connections both locally and internationally. A man who can use his international connections to bring investors to come and invest in the state, he noted”.
“We have put everything together ready shortly after my inauguration as the next governor of Cross River State to create wealth for our people, he added.”
“He promised to continue with the good legacies of the present governor Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade and Improve upon them towards the complete transformation of the state to a viable economy.
Earlier, the state chairman of NUJ, Comrade Nsa Gill, had welcomed Sen. Bassey Otu, who came alone to the Press Centre.
He assured him of the same privilege that has been accorded to guber candidates of other political parties that have visited the Union based on consultations.
The chairman who had intimated him of the state of the Union so to say, noting that “we are ready to work with any government that recognizes the role and importance of the media as the forth estate of the realm and begin to include it among its budget annually”.
The media, he said, had over the years played significant role in stabilizing our democracy and unfortunately till date, “there is no budgetary allocation” from past and present government.
He appreciated the visit and urged him not to abandon the media during the campaign proper as soon as the ban is lifted.
