Former Senate Leader, Distinguished Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, and the member representing Boki/Ikom Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Victor Abang, have congratulated the Governor of Cross River State, Senator (Prince) Bassey Edet Otu of All Progressives Congress (APC), on his victory at the Court of Appeal.
The Appellate Court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday affirmed the judgment of the tribunal upholding the election of Prince Otu, and dismissed for lack of merit, the appeal filed by Senator Sandy Onor, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the March 18, 2023 governorship poll in Cross River State.
In their separate messages of congratulations to the governor, Ndoma-Egba and Abang describe the appeal court verdict in favour of Otu as a welcome development. The duo see the ruling as a further affirmation of the will of the people who freely voted for the governor in the guber election.
Ndoma-Egba said: “I rejoice with Governor Bassey Otu, the APC family and the entire Cross Riverians on the appeal court victory. It is a well-earned and well-deserved victory. I appeal to my brother Senator Sandy Onor, to rest the matter and join hands with Senator Bassey Otu to confront the enormous challenges the State faces. To Bassey Otu, I say congratulations. He must speedily begin to meet the urgent expectations of Cross Riverians who will now be impatient with excuses. To Cross Riverians, as we expect to begin to see greater efforts from the governor towards attending to the needs of the people, let’s rally round him to give him the necessary support to succeed. It is in the best interest of the state for him to succeed. So, we must not hesitate to support and cooperate with Otu’s administration to enable him to deliver on his promises.”
On his part, Hon Abang remarked: “I congratulate His Excellency, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, on his triumph at the Court of Appeal. It’s a wonderful victory for democracy because Senator Otu clearly won the governorship election held in Cross River State on March 18, 2023. What the appeal court has simply done is to affirm the will of the people as was upheld earlier by the tribunal. The governor and his deputy met all the requirements needed to be qualified for the election which was transparently conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Therefore, at this point, what those challenging the victory of Prince Otu should do is to accept the defeat in good faith, join the governor and work with him to move Cross River forward in the collective interest of the people.”
