The governor of Cross River State in southern Nigeria, Senator Bassey Otu, has pledged to consolidate on his administration’s development gains as he inaugurated the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign Council ahead of the 2027 election.
Governor Otu, who cited debt reduction, asset recovery, infrastructure renewal and public service reforms as evidence of progress under the People First Agenda, urged members of the council to take the achievements of the past three years to the electorate.
Otu reminded party faithful of the significant fiscal and administrative challenges inherited on assumption of office in May 2023, noting that his government had made progress “restoring public assets, strengthening revenue generation and improving service delivery.
“We did not promise all things in one year, but we covenanted to stop the bleeding, clear the ground, recover the losses and restore abandonments,” he said.
Record achievements
The governor further explained that his administration had successfully reduced Cross River State inherited domestic debt of more than ₦204 billion by over ₦70 billion without taking fresh loans, bringing the outstanding debt to approximately ₦132.3 billion as of March 2026.
Otu also stated that Internally Generated Revenue increased from ₦21.1 billion in 2022 to ₦46.3 billion in 2024, attributing the improvement to financial discipline and reforms in revenue collection.
On asset recovered, Governor Otu cited the reclamation of Tinapa from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, the recovery of about ₦1 billion from Etung Cocoa Estates as he assured ongoing efforts to reclaim the state’s oil wells.
According to Otu, three thousand local government workers previously removed from the payroll were restored, employment embargo lifted and had begun the payment of gratuities to retirees.
He noted that his administration also took concrete steps to continue with several ongoing projects such as the Obudu Cargo Airport runway, the revival of the Teachers Continuous Training Institute in Biase, the transformation of Akamkpa College of Education into the University of Entrepreneurship and the concessioning of the Garment Factory as well as the Obudu Ranch Resort through public-private partnerships amongst others.
For his second tenure, the governor said priority would be to convert recovered assets into productive enterprises, complete major infrastructure projects, expand youth and agricultural enterprise programmes and establish industrial parks across the three senatorial districts as well as improve workers’ welfare.
He urged the campaign council to focus on the administration’s record and explain its policies to voters, arguing that continuity was necessary to sustain development.
Avoid complacency
Responding to the gesture, the Chairman of the Campaign Council and Commissioner for Education, Senator Stephen Odey, said the council was determined to take its messages across the 196 wards and riding on the visible accomplished projects in the 18 local government areas.
Odey cautioned members against complacency, insisting that the party must undertake rigorous grassroots mobilisation, pledging to take APC’s message to voters even in hard to reach communities were ahead of the elections.
Earlier, the State APC Chairman, Mr Christopher Etta, charged members of the campaign council to work towards securing victory for the party in the 2027 general elections.
Etta noted that the forthcoming elections would be determined by “ideas, policies and programmes,” urging campaign officials to familiarise themselves with the achievements of APC-led administrations at the federal and state levels.
