The Cross River State House of Assembly has faulted a petition sent to President Bola Tinubu by a group identified as the Indigenous Displaced People of Bakassi, communities urging the federal government to delist Bakassi from the 774 Local Government Areas in the country.
The petition, which was also copied to the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Senator representing Cross River Southern Senatorial District, was criticized by lawmakers for bypassing state authorities and failing to engage Governor Bassey Otu directly.
In a motion read by Hon. Eyo Bassey, member representing Bakassi State Constituency, in a plenary on Tuesday, it clarified that he was not consulted before the petition was submitted.
While reaffirming his commitment to the Bakassi people, the lawmaker noted that petitioners are seeking to play a distractive politics, against the common interest of the people.
Co-sponsors of the motion denounced the petitioners for circumventing established channels, calling it an unfortunate disregard for protocol. Other lawmakers highlighted key developmental projects being implemented in their constituencies by Governor Otu and urged the people of Bakassi to collaborate with the government rather than allow themselves to be manipulated by political interests.
The legislators further stressed that Governor Otu’s People First Agenda is inclusive and benefits all parts of the state, including Bakassi. They pointed to strategic initiatives such as the Bakassi Deep Seaport project as evidence of the administration’s commitment to Bakassi’s progress.
In his remark, the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, condemned the petition as “a complete misnomer and facade, warning that attempts to blackmail or politicize sensitive issues would not derail the state’s ongoing development.
“Cross River State is our common heritage. No one local government is more Cross River than the other. No atom of self-interest will derail the progress the state is witnessing. Cross River State is on the right track,” Ayambem stated.
The Assembly resolved to summon those behind the petition to provide a public explanation while calling on Bakassi stakeholders to embrace dialogue and cooperation. Lawmakers urged the people to remain calm and trust the government’s commitment to addressing their concerns.
Our correspondent gathered that in a recent interview on Arise TV, A former Lawmaker Senator Florence Ita Giwa, and the Suspended Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Okoi Obono-Obla, under president Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration, had called for the delisting of Bakassi from Nigeria’s 774 LGAs.
