ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) leaders in Cross River State, led by Governor Bassey Otu, have pledged to mobilise no fewer than 1.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
The commitment emerged during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened by Otu on Monday at the Calabar International Convention Centre. Attendees included former APC National Women Leader and Honourable Minister Dr Betta Edu, National Assembly members from the state, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, party executives, and representatives of youth and women groups.
Addressing participants, Governor Otu called on President Tinubu to support the reclamation of Cross River’s oil wells and restore its full littoral and oil-producing status. He urged the federal government to validate the state’s claim using verified reservoir coordinates and technical reports, while also increasing federal appointments for state indigenes to enhance grassroots mobilisation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Otu highlighted ongoing federal collaborations that have boosted infrastructure, including the Calabar-Lagos Coastal Highway, and commended party faithful for their unity and support. He specifically praised Dr Betta Edu for her “steadfastness, comportment, and loyalty” to the party and the state.
Speaking separately, Edu called for intensified grassroots mobilisation, inclusive engagement, and sustained voter education ahead of 2027. She expressed confidence that the benefits of the Renewed Hope Agenda would extend to all residents of Cross River State and endorsed the governor’s call for presidential intervention to restore the state’s economic standing and oil-producing status following the discovery of over 100 oil wells in its estuary.
Senators and House of Representatives members from Cross River State also pledged to strengthen mobilisation in their constituencies. The stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to securing a decisive electoral mandate for President Tinubu and Governor Otu’s second-term bid, reiterating the party’s position from May 2025.
Earlier, at the state airport, Otu emphasized that Cross River State deserves fair treatment in the ongoing process of relisting it as an oil-producing state. Meanwhile, Akwa Ibom State Attorney General, Uko Udom SAN, clarified that media reports suggesting the state’s 76 legally owned wells might be returned to Cross River were inaccurate, insisting that nothing has been ceded.
