Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-South region of Nigeria met in Calabar on Saturday to discuss major political issues affecting the region and the meeting was chaired by Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State, who was recently appointed leader of the party at the zonal level.

Otu is so far the only APC State Governor in the region and party leaders have publicly praised the leadership he has given to Cross River State and encouraged him to do the same in the South-South region of the party.

Speaking after the meeting, the Zonal Vice Chairman of the Party, Hon. Chief Victor Gaidom, said the meeting which was also attended by Chairmen of the party from various states within the zone resulted in a unanimous decision to work in synergy to strengthen the party in the zone and particularly ensure that the party emerges victorious in the forthcoming Edo State governorship election.

He said that the meeting was very successful and they agreed to work for the unity of the party in all South-South states. 

He said: “We are using this opportunity to issue a warning to other political parties in Edo State, letting them know that the APC is ready to collect back the governance of the state.”

Gathering in the city of Calabar, the leaders said the Governor’s achievements in office were visible to all, especially in the areas of environment, infrastructure development, agrarian reform principles, revival of hope and people’s development.

Governor Otu, who was accompanied by his Chief of Staff, Hon. Emmanuel Ironbar, to the meeting, said he is happy to have hosted the Zonal executives of the party, and having been conferred with the responsibility of Zonal leadership, “it is often said that to whom much is given, much is expected. We needed to come together to deepen the APC in the South-South. Today, Cross River State is the only APC state in the South-South; we want to increase that number before we go to the next general election.”

Governor Otu emphasised that APC has come to stay in Cross River State and that his administration is keyed into the renewed hope agenda of the federal government, which he said remains critical to the ‘People First’ mantra of his administration.

“As a government, we will spare no effort to ensure the confidence and well-being of our people through our programs and policies,” he said.

Among the State Chairmen in attendance were Alphonsus Ogar Eba Esq, Cross River State Chairman; Chief Stephen Ntuk Ekpo, Chairman, Akwa Ibom State; Chief Tony Okocha, Chairman, Rivers State; and Hon. Jarrett Tenebe; Chairman, Edo State. Also, most of the elected Zonal executive members were in attendance.