By Cletus Asuquo
No fewer than 200,000 automobile technicians and other operators in the automotive value chain in Cross River State have declared their support for President Bola Tinubu and Governor Bassey Otu ahead of the 2027 general elections NEGROIDHAVEN has garnered.
The stakeholders, operating under the aegis of the Unified Automobile Technicians Support Group, made their position known on Tuesday during the formal inauguration of the group at the Cross River State College of Health Technology, Calabar.
The group, headed by the Director-General, Chief Ndem Effiong, comprises automobile technicians, spare parts dealers, engine oil and lubricants dealers, motor dealers, members of the Female Automobile Technicians Association and officials of the Automobile Technicians Regulatory Department.
Effiong, who is also the Special Adviser to Governor Otu on Automobile Technicians and Regulatory Services, said the group was established to provide technical and political support to the All Progressives Congress-led governments at the state and federal levels.
He said the 200,000-member structure cut across the entire state and was formed to promote inclusion and effective participation of operators in the political and governance processes.
According to him, the group had consulted with the state executive committee of the APC and other political leaders, adding that the consultations were part of efforts to declare the group’s support for the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said, “Come 2027, we will effectively participate in the process of electing or re-electing our party’s candidates at the polls.”
Effiong also pledged that members of the group would provide technical assistance during the APC campaigns, including repairing campaign vehicles and generating sets that might break down during the exercise.
He said the decision by the technicians to support the APC-led government was influenced by what he described as the administration’s efforts to reposition the automotive industry in the state.
Effiong listed the Automotive Training Centre at Awi in Akamkpa Local Government Area, a CNG and electric vehicle conversion centre domiciled at the University of Calabar, plans for a vehicle assembly plant and the training of technicians among initiatives being pursued to develop the sector.
He also disclosed that the National Automotive Design and Development Council would hold a five-day national executive retreat in Calabar later in August.
The DG commended Governor Otu for establishing the Automobile Technicians Regulatory Department, describing it as an important step towards regulating and developing the activities of automobile technicians in the state.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, Eyo Nsa Ekpo, who chaired the occasion, described the inauguration as a significant development in the state’s political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ekpo urged the members of the group to mobilise their families, friends and associates to support the APC, saying the 200,000 members could significantly increase the party’s votes if each member mobilised additional supporters.
He declared that Governor Otu’s re-election was certain, while urging the group to work towards ensuring that Cross River State records the highest percentage of votes for the APC in the South-South geopolitical zone.
Ekpo also criticised what he described as social media critics of the APC-led governments, saying political victories would ultimately be determined at the polling booths and not on social media.
“Elections are not held on social media. Most social media tigers don’t come out on election days because we will swallow them whole,” he said.
Representing Governor Otu, and the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Emmanuel Ironbar the Special Adviser to the Governor on General Duties, Ekpenyong Akiba, thanked the group for its support and assured the technicians that the state government would continue to work with them.
Akiba described the automotive technicians and other operators in the value chain as an important support structure, given their extensive networks across communities and businesses in the state.
He said the governor would reciprocate the group’s support with greater attention to the development of the automotive sector, adding that Otu’s second-term bid was not negotiable.
Akiba also urged the members to increase their mobilisation for President Tinubu, arguing that greater electoral support from Cross River would strengthen the state’s influence at the national level.
He cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as one of the projects he said demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to Cross River State.
The inauguration brought together automobile technicians, spare parts dealers, political leaders, government officials and other stakeholders in the automotive industry.
