CALABAR — The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Cross River State, Sir Arthur Javis Archibong, has accused Governor Bassey Otu of running an “absentee government” and pledged to remain physically accessible to the people if elected in 2027 NEGROIDHAVEN can say.
Archibong made the allegation on Thursday at a press conference in Calabar on the state of the state, where he reviewed the Otu administration’s performance after three years in office.
The PDP candidate, who said he had deliberately refrained from publicly criticising the administration since its inception, argued that the Governor had spent too much time outside the state at the expense of effective governance.
He claimed that available records showed that Otu did not spend more than 10 days in the state in any month, alleging that the Governor spent the remaining days in Abuja or abroad.
Archibong said the Governor’s frequent absence had created a disconnect between the government and the people, questioning how the administration could adequately understand and respond to the concerns of residents without regular interaction with them.
He said, “How can the Governor then honestly know the challenges of the citizenry and how can the citizenry, even the elite, have access to the Chief Executive of their state, who should be available to understand their concerns firsthand, with a view to expeditiously solving same?”
The former governorship aspirant also criticised what he described as the delegation of governance to individuals who were not elected by the people, saying such a practice had affected decision-making in the state.
According to him, a governor must be physically, mentally and emotionally prepared to perform the responsibilities of the state’s chief executive.
Archibong further alleged that the limited presence of the Governor outside Calabar had affected the administration’s understanding of challenges confronting communities in the Central and Northern Senatorial Districts.
He said Cross River’s governor should not be limited to Calabar, arguing that the state’s three senatorial districts and its various local government areas required regular attention from the chief executive.
The PDP candidate also linked the alleged absence of the Governor to what he described as inadequate supervision of government projects across the state.
He claimed that contracts awarded without regular on-the-spot inspections by the chief executive could result in poor execution, abandonment and questionable project evaluation.
However, Archibong promised that his administration, if elected, would adopt a different approach to governance.
He pledged to remain in Cross River for most of his tenure and travel outside the state only when necessary to attend to matters capable of attracting development to the state.
“I would not be an absentee Governor. I will be constantly available to the people and only travel outside of the state very rarely and only to attend to obviously critical affairs that usher verifiable development to the state,” he said.
He also promised to visit communities, wards and clans across the state to listen directly to residents and inspect government projects.
Archibong said the entire state would constitute his “gubernatorial constituency”, promising to ensure that all three senatorial districts and the various ethnic groups received attention in his development agenda.
“I will not be Calabar Limited. I have the broad-mindedness, vision, agility, love as well as the physical and mental capacity to constantly traverse the different zones of our dear state in the search for and implementation of real development for our people,” he said.
The PDP candidate said his administration would also prioritise project supervision, promising to personally inspect projects and ensure that they were executed according to approved specifications and completed within schedule.
Archibong’s comments formed part of a broader criticism of the Otu administration, which he accused of failing to deliver a clear development vision after three years in office.
He also promised to promote equitable development, restore local government financial autonomy and place competence above what he described as mediocrity if elected governor.
The governor has not, in the statement presented by Archibong, responded to the allegations concerning his travel pattern or the claim of absentee governance.
