joshuaRep Akiba, an a sset to APC in Cross River – Gov Otu’s aide
The Special Adviser (SA) on General Duties to Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State, Barrister Ekpenyong Akiba, has described as a welcome development the return of Rep. Bassey Akiba, the lawmaker representing Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency of Cross River State to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Rep Akiba, a grassroots politician and quintessential leader, had contested for the House of Reps seat for Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency in the 2023 general election on the platform of Labour Party (LP) and won.
However, after about 18 months in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly, the one-time Chairman of Odukpani Local Government Area and ex-member of Cross River State House of Assembly, decided to return to his former party, the APC.
The SA on General Duties to Cross River governor, Barrister Akiba, who was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the Apostolic Church Bible College and Seminary (ACBCS) in affiliation with University of Calabar (UNICAL), said Rep Akiba’s return will add value to the APC as he has much to offer the party.
He noted that the federal parliamentarian has seen the tremendous changes in the governance of the state via the transformative leadership of Governor Otu, and needed to align with him to get more dividends of democracy for his people.
“I am highly delighted to see that Rep Bassey Akiba, the Honourable Member Representing the good people of Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency in the National Assembly has returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he previously belonged. His return is indeed a welcome development because he is coming as an asset to the party. He is returning to add value to the APC and not as a liability,” Barrister Akiba said.
He added that “Beyond the issue of division and factionalization in the Labour Party, the reason Rep Akiba decided to return to the APC cannot be divorced from the transformative action of His Excellency, Prince Bassey Otu that he has seen across all the constituencies and communities in Cross River State. Rep Akiba has witnessed the impactful governance of the People-First administration of our amiable, pragmatic and performing governor, and his remarkable developmental efforts across the length and breadth of the state, particularly in his constituency. That is what largely informed his decision to return to the APC, to enable him collaborate and synergise with the governor to create better opportunities for his people.
“We warmly welcome him back to the APC family in Cross River where he originally belongs. Rep Akiba is a respected grassroots mobilizer and an astute parliamentarian who has done a lot for his people through various interventions and facilitation of meaningful projects and programmes for the benefit of his constituents. Now that he has come to join APC, the ruling party at the local, state and national level, he is surely on a better ground to do greater things for members of his constituency.”
