By Ike Uchechukwu
Mr Edem Darlington, Deputy Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Bassey Otu of Cross River State, has said that the governor has delivered on his campaign promises to the people of the state, noting, however, that he (Otu) will not relent in his quest to entrench good governance in the state continually.
Darlington, who stated this during a television program monitored by the Vanguard in Calabar, also dismissed a claim by the immediate past chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River, Mr Alphonsus Eba, on his political influence in the state.
Speaking on the governor’s performance within three years in office, the media aide listed security, infrastructural transformation, agriculture, and the reclaiming of government assets, among others, as the areas where substantial progress has been recorded.
He added that heavy investment in security has since brought nightlife back, doctors, as well as other investors, visitors, and tourists alike, back to Calabar and Cross River as a whole.
He further stated that life has gradually returned to Obudu ranch resort as tourists now converge weekly with different tour operators organising trips and holidays to the resort.
According to him, Tinapa is back in the hands of Cross River State. The state paid over ₦18 billion in debt, with a resort turnaround project expected within two months.
“The governor has also invested in air transportation with the acquisition of three additional aircraft to the existing fleet.
“Again, Obudu Cargo Airport has recorded over 80 per cent completion rate all thanks to the Otu-led administration.”
Similarly, he asserted that the government has invested much in human capital development, particularly revamping schools and dilapidated public buildings.
Darlington said that the Otu-led administration has started defraying years of unpaid retirement gratuities of civil servants with the release of N10 billion in the first tranche.
Reacting to the claim by Alphonsus Eba, the media aide described it as empty rhetoric, insisting that numbers speak louder than Eba’s media appearances.
He asserted that Eba’s 2023 electoral record undercuts his claims of political influence, noting that as the then-sitting state chairman, Eba failed to deliver his state constituency, his federal constituency, and his senatorial district.
On Eba’s exit from the APC, Darlington said the move drew little following.
“He left with only one person, which is his Personal Assistant. You respond to people who have political goodwill, who have political value. Let him show us the results of the 2023 elections,” he stated.
