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•Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Hon Peter Odey (holding the microphone), Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Elvert Ayambem, (second left) and APC state Chairman; Barr Alphonsus Eba (third right) during the flag off of the party’s campaign for the November 2 local government election in Ikom Local Government Area
Governor of Cross River State, Bassey Edet Otu, has flagged off the All Progressives Congress campaign for the upcoming November 2 local government council elections.
Governor Otu, represented by his deputy, Peter Odey, performed the formal flag-off ceremony at the Ikom Township Stadium, Ikom, on Sunday.
In his remarks, the governor congratulated the party’s chairmanship and councillorship candidates, acknowledging the rigorous and transparent exercise that led to their emergence.
He stressed the critical role of local government administration in Nigeria’s democracy, noting that it is a panacea for rural development in line with the ‘People First’ mantra of his administration, as an APC controlled-state.
He outlined the key accomplishments of his administration in the past 17 months, highlighting simultaneous progress in infrastructure development across the three senatorial districts, enhanced security, improved healthcare, quality education, workforce, and overall service delivery improvements.
Speaking further, he assured citizens that the current administration through the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission is poised to conduct a free, fair and credible poll in the November 2 local government election and encouraged Cross Riverians to support APC candidates, asserting that their victory would ensure continuity of the state’s socio-economic and developmental strides.
Addressing the rally, the state chairman of the APC, Alphonsus Eba, expressed gratitude to Governor Otu for his transparent and inclusive leadership, which he said has brought overwhelming support for the administration and the party.
Eba urged party supporters, including those who were not successful in their bid to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming local council poll to prioritize the unity and success of the APC.
On his part, the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, called for reconciliation within the party to strengthen unity ahead of the elections, noting that the basic duty of a political party is not just to win elections but to enhance harmony among teaming members.
The state deputy chairman of the APC, Hon. Ekum Ojogu, also urged unwavering support from party faithful and Cross Riverians for the governor’s commitment to improving the state, even as he encouraged all party members to set aside any grievances and work towards a shared vision of winning the forthcoming election.
He commended the state APC chairman, the Local Organizing Committee, and party members for their unwavering support for the Otu-led administration, which according to him, is committed to repositioning and taking the state to an enviable height.
In their respective goodwill messages, representatives from the Southern, Northern, and Central senatorial districts, including the Federal Commissioner representing the state at the National Population Commission, Rt. Hon. Alex Ukam, former Executive Secretary of the National Planning Commission, Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo, and the senator representing Cross River Central senatorial district in the Nigerian Senate, Senator Eteng Jones Williams, expressed support for Governor Otu’s leadership and urged Cross Riverians to continue in their unflinching support and prayers for the governor and the party by turning out en masse to vote for the APC in the forthcoming election.
In his acceptance speech after receiving the APC flag, Hon. Dr Sunny Ayang, the chairmanship candidate for Obanliku, who spoke on behalf of all candidates, expressed heartfelt appreciation to the governor, the deputy governor, the state party chairman, and all party members for their unwavering support.
Ayang assured them that candidates across the 18 local government areas would embark on issue-based campaigns and, if elected, would fulfil their mandates to bring the dividends of democracy closer to the people.
