…He Lacks Knowledge Of Governor’s Office Workings – Info Commissioner, Ekpeyong
By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Cross River State, Sir Arthur Javis Archibong, PhD, has linked poor execution of projects across the state to the frequent absence of Governor Bassey Otu from the state.
Speaking at a press conference on the State of Cross River on August 13, 2026, Archibong alleged that Governor Otu spends less than ten days in the state every month, leaving governance to unelected aides.
He said, “Available, verifiable records show that there is no month the governor spends more than ten days in the state. Twenty days, at least, on a monthly basis, are spent either in Abuja and or abroad with nothing to show for this absence.”
He said the implication of the absence is that contracts awarded across the state suffer because there is no on-the-spot supervision by the chief executive.
He alleged that governance has been left to “third parties, who were not voted into office and who obviously lack capacity for competent decision making.”
Archibong further alleged that the governor has failed to traverse tye Central and Northern Cross River to understand rural challenges.
He added, “No incident, no matter how much of an emergency it evokes, takes the governor beyond Calabar.
“Calabar is not Cross River State; It is only the state capital.”
He stressed that despite federal allocation that has “at least quadrupled,” the administration has no signature project after almost four years, except “the refurbished library complex, the Governor’s Office” and a few poorly executed roads.
But the state Commissioner for Information, Pastor Ekpeyong Cobham, dismissed the allegation.
Ekpeyong said, “First and foremost, what does the PDP governorship candidate, Sir Jarvis, know about the functions and operations of the office of the governor? Does he know the challenges associated with the office of the governor?
“Sometimes the governor has to travel out of the state to attend to other official duties.
“He should speak based on the statistics and data available to him instead of talking like a layman.”
