Asuquo Cletus, Calabar
The Cross River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed as “empty boast and political comedy” the declaration by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it would reclaim power in the state during the 2027 general elections.
This is coming after the State chairman of the PDP Venatius Ikem had vowed to unseat Governor Bassey Otu.
In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Inyang, on Thursday, the ruling party said the opposition PDP had long lost its political relevance in Cross River and lacked the strength to challenge Governor Bassey Otu in the next polls.
APC described the PDP’s recent meeting in Calabar, led by its state chairman, Venatius Ikem, as “hollow” and an attempt to create a false impression that the party still had hope of returning to power.
The statement partly read, “Ordinarily, we would not waste time responding to their blithering, but we must remind Cross Riverians that even when the PDP was stronger, the APC defeated it convincingly at the polls. Today, the PDP is nothing but a shadow of itself, with its members trooping in droves to the APC. Their ambition in 2027 is dead on arrival.”
The ruling party further assured its supporters that Governor Otu’s re-election in 2027 was “as certain as daybreak and nightfall,” urging Cross Riverians to remain steadfast with the “People First” administration.
APC maintained that “no amount of wishful thinking or press conferences by PDP leaders can alter the political reality,” stressing that the people of Cross River had chosen progress with the ruling party.
