By Joseph Abasi-Abasi, Calabar
Political stakeholders from the five local government areas of Cross River State’s Northern Senatorial District have endorsed Governor Bassey Otu’s bid for a second term in office and called for bloc votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
The stakeholders, drawn from Ogoja, Obanliku, Obudu, Yala and Bekwarra local government areas, made their position known during a consultative engagement held at the Ogoja Local Government Council Headquarters.
The event was preceded by a sensitisation walk from Ajengnle Junction to the council headquarters, with political leaders, traditional rulers, youths, women and other stakeholders participating.
Chairman of the Elders Advisory Council and former governor of the state, Chief Clement Ebri, said the engagement was designed to enable the council and the Cross River State Consultative Forum obtain first-hand information on the people’s assessment of the Otu administration.
Ebri described the exercise as a fact-finding mission, stressing that members of the team would also hold private consultations with stakeholders to enable them express concerns that might not be raised publicly.
“We are more like a fact-finding team,” Ebri said, adding that Governor Otu had asked the council to provide him with honest advice and was prepared to make corrections where genuine lapses were identified.
He urged residents of the district to remain patient with the administration as it addressed infrastructure deficits and other challenges inherited from previous administrations.
Ebri also commended Otu for his efforts towards restoring Cross River’s status as an oil-producing state, saying the development could enhance the state’s economic prospects.
On the 2027 elections, the former governor urged the people of the Northern Senatorial District to mobilise support for both Otu and Tinubu, stressing the need for a strong bloc vote that would strengthen the governor’s recognition and bargaining power at the national level.
Chairman of the Consultative Forum, Barrister Eyo Nsa Ekpo, said the Ogoja engagement was the forum’s first outing in the Northern Senatorial District.
Ekpo thanked the people for their support for the Otu administration, stressing that the gathering was not a campaign rally but a platform for stakeholders from the five local government areas to deliberate on the future of the state.
He said the stakeholders’ response amounted to a strong endorsement of Otu’s second-term bid, urging them to sustain mobilisation for the governor and President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ekpo, however, called for a fact-based assessment of government performance and peaceful political engagement across the state.
The State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Rt. Hon. Chris Etta, represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Ugana Lukpata, also urged party members to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the elections.
Etta said the party must mobilise both its members and non-members to support its candidates, declaring that “we cannot record anything below five over five” in the 2027 elections.
He highlighted some ongoing projects across the Northern Senatorial District and attributed the restoration of Cross River’s oil-producing status to improved relations between the state and Federal Government.
According to him, the state now has 46 oil wells, with exploration and exploitation activities already underway.
He maintained that continued support for Otu and Tinubu would help consolidate the gains recorded by the state.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the engagement, the stakeholders acknowledged ongoing projects and other interventions by the Otu administration and reaffirmed their support for the continuity of the President and governor.
They called for the completion of ongoing projects and sustained government attention to the development needs of the Northern Senatorial District..
The stakeholders also resolved to intensify grassroots mobilisation, promote peaceful political engagement and sustain consultations with communities and political stakeholders.
They reaffirmed their support for Tinubu, Otu and other APC candidates at the national, state and local government levels.
The communiqué was unanimously adopted and signed by Ekpo; Secretary of the Forum, Dr Julius Okputu; Chairman of the Drafting Committee, Ntufam (Barr.) Fidelis Ugbo; and Secretary, Prof. Michael Okom.
