More encomiums as some Cross Riverian felicitate newly sworn-in state exco members

Congratulatory messages and encomiums are still pouring in from residents and indigenes of Cross River state to the newly sworn-in members of the Cross River State Executive Council.

The latest is from Engr. Edet Udoh, Managing Director of Gapatect Nigeria Limited, a civil engineering and road construction firm based in Calabar to Chief Felix Okon Idem aka “FELODEM” the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, sworn-in recently by Governor Bassey Otu.

Another is from a youth leader in Ikot Offiong, Mbiabo Esine Ufot in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State, Ibom Bassey Okokon to Barrister Ededem Ani, Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

In their separate interviews with newsmen on Saturday August 19, 2023 they described appointments of the duo as satisfactory testimony to their immense contribution to the over-all development of the state and urged them to use their wealth of experience to assist Governor Bassey Otu to make him restore back Cross River State to its hitherto status of the Nations Tourism destination.

Engr. Udoh particularly implored Chief Felix Idem to leverage on his pedigree as a grass-root politician to harness the potentials that abound in the Local Government Areas to buffet the citizens to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

In his contribution, Ibom Bassey Okokon called on the new state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice to use his good office to address some salient judicial cases in the state so as to enable the state government to change the narrative and bring the lingering dispute in the Obong of Calabar stool that has deeply divided the Efik Kingdom to an end.

It would be recalled that since the impasse that erupted during the enthronement of HRM Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu The V as Obong of Calabar after the demise of Prof. Nta Elijah Henshaw in 2008, the camp of Etubom Anthony Ani, former Minister of Finance to Late General Sani Abacha regime has fought a protracted legal battle challenging the process of Edidem Ekpo Okon’s selection from the High Court to the Court of Appeal and finally to the Supreme Court which has nullified the procedure and called for a re-run to produce an authentic Obong to accend the stool of the Obong of Calabar which Etubom Anthony Ani now claims as the Obong-Elect having ganered support from four out of the seven surviving Etuboms in the conclave. The remaining three are in the camp of Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu The V.

By: Archibong Emmanuel
(Snr. Reporter)