Calabar –The press center of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Calabar became an unlikely political arena on Wednesday as youth and student leaders from three local government areas converged to publicly endorse Edem Dominic Bassey for the House of Representatives, four years ahead of the 2027 general elections NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
Leaders of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) from Akpabuyo, Bakassi, and Calabar South local government areas, along with various student association presidents in company of students, addressed journalists in a rare joint appearance, declaring that they have lost confidence in their current federal representative.
Comrade Sebastian Ekpenyong, a grassroots mobilizer from Calabar South Ward 11, opened the endorsement, stating that the constituency has been left behind in governance.
“I’ve been into grassroots mobilisation for a very long time,” Ekpenyong told the gathering. “Our people have told me that they have been left behind in the course of governance, mostly in these three local governments.”
He specifically cited the lack of student bursaries as evidence of poor representation. “The last three years, there have been no bursary paid to the students from our federal constituency,” he said.
Ekpenyong explained that a young, freshly mobilised comrade approached him to step forward, leading to the decision to rally behind Edem Dominic Bassey.
“That is why all of us are here,” he said. “We decided to come to tell the whole constituency, to tell the people of Cross River State, that we are looking for a comrade in the person of Edem Dominic Bassey to come and represent us at the Federal House of Representatives.”
He was followed by Eyo Nsa, coordinator of the NYCN in Calabar South, who issued what amounted to a draft ultimatum.
“Today we are here to call him out because we have seen some proven integrity that he has,” Eyo Nsa said. “Today we are here to make sure he comes out — whether he likes it or not, he must come out.”
He then asked the audience: “Are we not tired of the representation we are having before us?… We are tired, and we need a change.”
Eyo Ita Eyo, NYCN chairman for Akpabuyo, accused older politicians of sidelining young people.
“Our representatives are not representing us very well,” he said. “They do not even recognise the young persons. They expect us to come and run and beg them for things that rightly belonging to the young person.”
The strongest appeal came from Inyang Solomon Ekpenyong, President of the National Association of Bakassi Students Worldwide.
“I am here today speaking as a voice for Bakassi students,” he said. “We are begging, we are pleading, that Mr. Edem Dominic Bassey should come out and represent us.”
He added: “We have suffered from lack of representation. They will go there and tell us that nothing in there. So let’s send a youth that we trust, that we can hold responsible, and that youth is Mr. Edem Dominic Bassey.”
Also present were Sandra Efefiong, NYCN coordinator for Bakassi, and Edem Umo Duke Jnr, who represented Akpabuyo with the slogan “Build the youth, build the nation,” while urging Bassey to consider running.
All speakers emphasised that they were speaking “in one voice” and “in one accord” across the three local government areas that make up the Akpabuyo/Bakassi/Calabar South (ABC) federal constituency.
The 2027 general elections are less than a year away, so Wednesday’s event signals early mobilisation by youth groups seeking to reshape representation in the federal constituency.
