By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Traditional rulers and political leaders from Ikom, Boki, Obubra and Etung (IBOE) – Cross River Central Senatorial district, have declared support for the re-election of Governor Bassey Otu, and President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
The declaration was made during an IBOE Special Dinner and Strategic Engagement with Governor Otu and other stakeholders held in Calabar.
Speaking at the event, the Secretary to the Cross River State Government, Prof. Anthony Owan-Enoh, called on the people of the four local government areas to overcome historical divisions and unite for the development of the area.
Owan-Enoh described IBOE as a critical component of the state and urged stakeholders to work together to strengthen the Central Senatorial District.
“Development is unity; unity is development,” he declared. “We are the most economically viable, but unfortunately, we are also the most divisive. We never unite; we never sing with one chorus. That disunity is perhaps what has put us where we are today. We have come today to tell ourselves that enough is enough.”
Prof. Owan-Enoh dismissed criticisms that the gathering of the four local government areas was aimed at fracturing the Central Senatorial District, explaining that cohesion is a prerequisite for broader state unity.
“We have not come to divide; we are not jealous of anybody. We only want to learn and copy how the north and south have come together so that our communities will be truly developed,” he noted. “We want to strengthen ourselves so we can strengthen the central district.”
Looking at the political trajectory, Prof. Owan-Enoh reaffirmed the district’s backing for Governor Otu, urging the people of IBOE not to be misled by opposition rhetoric or grand promises. He emphasized the fairness of maintaining the established rotational power-sharing arrangement among the state’s senatorial districts.
“In going forward, from Obubra to Ikom, from Boki to Etung, we stand with Senator Bassey Otu,” he asserted. “He must spend his eight years. The South gave to the Central, from the Central it went to the North, and the North returned it to the South. It must complete its full turn.”
The SSG praised Governor Otu’s administration for prioritizing the completion and consolidation of projects of previous administrations rather than abandoning existing infrastructure.
“Today, we have a governor who says he will not take any unnecessary new path – he will combine tourism, rural development, and industrialization for the overall development of the state,” Owan-Enoh said. “It is more difficult to rebuild than to start a new building. This man is busy trying to correct the errors of the past, and we must give him the time and support to succeed.”
He extended a hand of reconciliation to aggrieved political stakeholders following recent primary elections, calling for a grassroots, house-to-house campaign ahead of upcoming elections.
“Although the party is supreme, the people are more supreme,” Owan-Enoh remarked. “We are determined to call all our brothers and sisters who lost in their primaries to come back to the family. There is no victor and no vanquished.”
Former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, who chaired the occasion, urged political stakeholders in IBOE to strengthen consultation and develop strategies to address the political realities facing the district.
“The problems of Boki/Ikom and Etung/Obubra federal constituencies are very peculiar. The political problems are peculiar,” Ndoma-Egba stressed. “We have already entered a political season, and in this political season, no amount of consultation is too little or too much. Politics is about consultation, it’s about conversation, it’s about engagement.”
Highlighting the unique political climate of the area, the former Senate Leader pointed out that the central senatorial district now hosts high-profile opposition figures, including a presidential candidate whose presence cannot be taken for granted.
“In politics, you don’t take anything for granted. It is a major development, it is a significant development, and we, from these two constituencies that provide the immediate habitat – the immediate home of this threat – must respond to this development in a peculiar way,” he said, describing Ikom as the strategic hub for the surrounding LGAs. “When there is a headache in Boki, Etung, or Obubra, the effect is felt in Ikom.”
He appealed to Governor Otu to assist the district by deploying targeted development initiatives to reinforce the ruling party’s foothold ahead of the election campaigns.
Despite the growing presence of opposition figures, the former lawmaker reiterated the unwavering commitment of the IBOE bloc to the ruling party and the continued alignment of the state with the federal government.
Meanwhile, paramount rulers from Ikom, Boki, Obubra, and Etung have also declared 100% support.
According to the Paramount Rulers of Etung, HRM (Amb.) Anthony Ntui Etta II: “We are not politicians, but we’re supporting the governments of the day. The government of the day is part of us. We are going to let the whole world know that we’re behind the Government of the day.”
The Paramount Rulers in attendance include HRH Minen Takon Atangha, Paramount Ruler of Ikom; HRM Otu Fredarline Akandu, Paramount Ruler of Boki; HRM Chief Sylvanus Ovat, Acting Paramount of Obubra and HRM (Amb.) Anthony Ntui Etta II, Paramount Ruler of Etung.
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