The Appeal Court has upheld the electoral victory of Senator Bassey Otu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor of Cross River State in southern Nigeria.
A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr. Emmanuel Ogbeche indicated that the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos State reaffirmed the decision of the September 26 Elections Petitions Tribunal, which dismissed the case as filed by the petitioner, Senator Sandy Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for lack of merit.
According to Ogbeche, Governor Otu, who again extended an olive branch to the opposition while addressing journalists, noted that the judgement was an indication of the people’s overwhelming support for him at the March 18 governorship election.
Move our state forward
He further indicated that the governor said the victory was a spur to continue to serve Cross River in line with his People First Agenda, stating: “For those in the opposition, especially my brother, Professor Sandy Onor, I once again offer you a hand of friendship. Come and join my administration so that together we can move our state forward and bring about the dividends of democracy.
“My administration is fully re-energised to deliver on the People First Mandate, which is on track to repositioning our state for effective and responsive governance. I solicit for the support and patience of all our people as we navigate the challenging times towards the Cross River of our dream,” the press release indicated.
It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Governor Bassey Otu winner of the March 18, 2023 election with a total of 258,619 votes in 15 of the 18 local governments areas against his opponent, Professor Sandy Onor, who scored 179,636 votes.
Speaker’s Reaction
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Mr. Elvert Ayambem has congratulated Governor Bassey Otu on his victory at the Appeal Court.
Ayambem, who expressed gratitude to God that the Court of Appeal upheld the rulling of the Election Petition Tribunal, commended the Judiciary as the hope of the common man.
Ayambem said, “the Appeal Court has once again affirmed that it is the hope of the common man. I am glad that the judgment has come forth and even if they drag the governor to the Supreme Court, I am pretty sure that he will still win. I thank God for standing with Governor Otu because he means well for the state.”
He enjoined all to come together and build Cross River State by working for the common interest of the state.
Lateefah Ibrahim
