2027: APC seeks C’River votes as Shettima defends reforms

Vice-President Kashim Shettima, on Monday, defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms despite the resulting hardship they have imposed on Nigerians, urging voters to assess the administration against the state of the country when it assumed office in 2023.

Shettima, on Monday, spoke at the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign rally in Calabar, Cross River State, as the party mounted a fresh appeal for re-election support in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Shettima, who stood in for President Bola Tinubu, argued that the reforms, though painful, were beginning to yield positive results and called on Nigerians to judge the President by comparing the country’s present condition with what he inherited.

The rally was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri; Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo; Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Peter Odey, members of the National Assembly, including the Deputy Director-General of the Campaign Council, Adams Oshiomhole, party leaders and supporters.

While Shettima defended the economic direction of the Federal Government, Otu promised that Cross River would deliver maximum votes for Tinubu.

“President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms are something we have seen, though painful; you can agree with me that they are beginning to yield positive results.

“Therefore, I urge Nigerians to judge the administration based on where the country was in 2023 when Tinubu took over and now,” Shettima said.

The Vice-President acknowledged the hardship associated with the reforms but argued that major economic transformation required difficult decisions.

He compared Tinubu’s leadership approach with that of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, whose administration transformed the country from a struggling colony into a global financial hub.

He urged Cross River residents to renew the APC’s mandate in 2027, describing the state as politically strategic to the party and deserving of greater federal presence.

He asked voters to support Tinubu, Otu, Odey and other APC candidates in the elections.

Otu, in turn, tied the state’s expected electoral support for Tinubu to the benefits he said Cross River stood to gain from federal projects and policies.

“In 2027, we are going to give President Bola Tinubu maximum votes in Cross River, because Cross River remains solidly APC.

“As a people, we will surely demonstrate our loyalty by giving the President overwhelming support at the polls come 2027,” the governor said.

He said Cross River had benefited from federal interventions under the Tinubu administration and would reciprocate with massive electoral support.

He also urged APC members and supporters across the state’s 18 local government areas to mobilise voters for the party’s candidates.

Among the projects Otu cited were the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport and the proposed location of the Gulf of Guinea Commission Secretariat in Calabar, which he said could reshape the state’s economic prospects.

He said the coastal highway would improve connectivity, trade, tourism and investment, while the proposed deep seaport could position Cross River as an international maritime gateway and generate employment.

He added that the proposed Gulf of Guinea Commission Secretariat would increase international engagement and stimulate hospitality and commercial activities in the state.

Otu also cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as part of the Federal Government’s interventions to ease access to tertiary education.

He said Cross River needed to convert its political relevance into tangible development gains by supporting the APC at all levels.

Yilwatda, who also addressed the rally, challenged Cross River residents to surpass their previous voting records by turning out in overwhelming numbers to re-elect Tinubu in the January 2027 presidential election.

The APC national chairman commended the turnout and reception at the rally, describing them as evidence of growing support for Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He, however, warned that the enthusiasm displayed at campaign events must translate into votes, saying the election offered Cross River an opportunity to strengthen its place in Nigeria’s political and economic future.

Yilwatda argued that the state was strategically positioned to become a major centre of economic activity because of its geographical advantages, commercial potential and maritime opportunities.

He said the Federal Government’s infrastructure agenda, particularly the revival of rail transportation, development of seaports and proposed nationwide superhighway network, held significant prospects for Cross River and the wider South-South region.

According to him, the initiatives were designed to connect markets, facilitate the movement of goods and people, reduce transportation costs, stimulate investment and create employment opportunities.

“For Cross River State, the opportunities are enormous. An efficient rail network will improve the movement of people and goods, while functional seaports can expand maritime commerce, create jobs and open new opportunities for businesses.

“A modern highway network will further connect ports, production centres and commercial cities, integrating the state more effectively into Nigeria’s expanding economic landscape,” he said.

He described infrastructure development as a critical component of Tinubu’s economic reform agenda, arguing that improved connectivity would enable states to harness their comparative advantages, attract private investment and contribute more substantially to national development.

The APC chairman urged residents to look beyond the immediate excitement of political campaigns and consider what he described as the long-term benefits of continuity, infrastructure investment and economic reforms.

He also called on APC members, party leaders, traditional institutions, community stakeholders, youths and women to intensify grassroots mobilisation and take the party’s message to every ward and community across the state.

Yilwatda said the task required unity, effective organisation and sustained engagement with voters, adding that the APC intended to consolidate its national political strength through a campaign anchored on its record, policies and vision for Nigeria.

He expressed confidence that Cross River would play a significant role in the party’s 2027 electoral campaign, maintaining that a renewed mandate would allow the administration to deepen its reforms, accelerate infrastructure delivery and expand economic opportunities for Nigerians.

The APC called on Cross River residents to convert the turnout at the Calabar rally into what it described as a decisive electoral statement in support of Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The campaign in Cross River followed the kick-off of the presidential campaign council in Kaduna, on October 24.