Vows to sell governor’s projects
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From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
Ahead of the 2027 governorship elections, the re-election ambition of the Cross River State governor, Senator Bassey Otu, has received a major boost following the defection of former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State, Barr Venatius Ikem, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ikem, who resigned from the PDP penultimate week citing internal divisions and lack of clear leadership direction, formally defected to the APC at a rally in Obudu Local Government Area.
Speaking during his formal reception, Ikem expressed gratitude to Governor Otu for the warm reception accorded him since his resignation, saying he had tasted “the season of sweetness and accommodation.”
The former PDP chairman commended Otu’s People First agenda and pledged to promote the administration’s development projects in the northern senatorial district and across the state.
He listed key interventions including the ongoing transformation of the Obudu Ranch Resort, the redevelopment of the Bebi airstrip, the Obudu airport project and the Obudu-Abakaliki road.
“When I met with the governor, I was unhappy that we had not talked enough about the things he had done and the ones he is also doing.
“He is doing a lot to turn around Obudu Ranch, the airstrip and the Obudu-Abakaliki road. How come he is doing so much, and it is not being talked about?” Ikem queried.
He said he had taken it upon himself to publicise the governor’s achievements, noting that political opponents had focused on claims that the governor was not doing enough.
Ikem urged residents to avoid allowing partisan differences to undermine family and community relationships, stressing that no political party is bad but the people in it.
“APC and PDP and all other political parties are not bad parties. It is we, the people, who are bad. Do not fight your brother over politics,” he stated.
He described his defection as an opportunity to reunite with political associates with whom he shared longstanding relationships before partisan differences separated them, adding that his reception by APC leaders since Sunday had been exceptionally warm.
He thanked the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Dr Emmanuel Ironbar, and other APC leaders for facilitating his reintegration.
The defection marks a significant political realignment in Cross River ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Under Ikem’s leadership, the PDP won one Senate seat, two House of Representatives seats and three State Assembly seats in the 2023 elections.
Reacting, an APC stakeholder from Ogoja, Ntufam Emmanuel Monjok, said Ikem was the last man standing for PDP in the North, adding that his defection had cleared the coast for APC victory in 2027.
According to him, it was a grave mistake for the Rainbow Coalition Group to have allowed him to resign no matter what and added that PDP is almost collapsed and gasping for “oxygen” ahead of 2027.
Another stakeholder from Calabar South, Ekpenyong Ekpenyong, said: “Ikem’s realignment with his kinsmen in APC is an indication that Gov Otu is 100 per cent sure of victory come 2027.”
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