2023: Groups call on Prince Otu to join C’River governorship race
Several support groups in Cross River have called on a former Senator who represented the southern senatorial district of the state in the 7th Senate, Prince Bassey Edet Otu, to join the race for the 2023 governorship.
The groups who made the call on Thursday at a press conference in Calabar, noted that Prince Otu is better positioned to sustain the legacies of the Ben Ayade-led administration, given his antecedents in public service and politics.
Reading the position of the groups from a prepared statement, Comrade Okache Boniface, Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Renewal, said the upswing in political activities in Cross River State and Nigeria at large have gained enormous appellations which raise the hopes of citizens, groups, collectives, platforms and allies to adjust and take eventual steps to enhance resilience for continuity.
“However, the legacies initiated and institutionalized by the Digital Governor of Cross River State, Senator (Prof.) Ben Ayade need to be sustained and strengthened especially now that there are evolving, emerging and rebounding desire to support and improve upon already existing buoyancy of APC in the State.”
He further noted that, “Despite the challenges facing Cross River State, we the different Support Groups of Sen. Prince Bassey Edet Otu, having noticed the prolong period of silence and quietude hereby step forward to call on Sweet Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu to make an assertive declaration to aspire and contest for the position of Governor in the forthcoming election in 2023.”
Boniface said “The historic archives of Cross River State representation speaks volume of this enigmatic, energetic, endearing, amiable, ever-loving, coordinated mobilizer and a personae par excellence.
“Senator Prince Bassey Otu needs no much introduction having been resoundingly outstanding first as a Banker, and later as a Federal Parliamentarian. He has been Chairman House Committee on Petroleum Upstream, he has been Chairman Senate Committee on Finance, and Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking and other Financial Institutions.
“While in the Parliament, he sponsored several bills which are now Acts of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, example are, the Bill on Local Content that gave rise to the formation of the National Content Development Board, the Bill on Nigerian Electronic Banking, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), the Amendment of AMCON and CBN Acts, Tax Duties etc.
“Senator Prince Bassey Otu as a name is synonymous with human Capital Empowerment and Development, he is today adjudged the most acceptable personality in the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State that will guaranty victory for our party (APC) at the poll in 2023.
“At this juncture, having x-rayed his sterling credentials and overwhelming acceptability across all societal strata, we the Support Groups of Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu (Sweet Prince) unequivocally and assertively call upon our trailblazer, the Sweet Prince of our time to declare for the position of Governor in Cross River State in the forthcoming 2023 election. We ail say that the cap fits him. His emergence will stand for sustainability and continuity of Governor Ben Ayade’s legacies in the development of Cross River State.”