Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has launched a blistering attack on opposition parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress (ADC), labeling its members as “kwashiokor politicians” who will never achieve political power.
The governor made these remarks on Tuesday in Calabar during an event where he received the endorsement of former members of the Bakassi Defence Force for his 2027 re-election bid. In a fiery speech, Otu dismissed the ADC as nothing more than “a gathering of detractors bent on dragging Nigeria back into hardship.”
“We have heard that there are some kwashiokor persons making moves to take over power. They call themselves ADC,” Otu said. “They are nothing more than detractors, a distraction! They can’t take Cross River back to Egypt.”
Otu did not stop there, also taking aim at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he described as another “sickly group” that is “incapable of returning Nigeria to the dark days.”
Drawing on his own experience as a former opposition figure, the governor expressed confidence in his administration’s ability to fend off these challenges. “As one who was once in opposition, I know detractors when I see them,” he asserted. “They cannot achieve anything. It is glaring that people don’t like the truth, but we have seen those who put Nigerians where they were before we came in. They won’t succeed.”
Despite the strong rhetoric, Otu maintained that his “People’s First administration” would not suppress dissenting voices. He stressed that his government respects democratic principles, including freedom of association and expression, and would not “clamp down on” opposing political groups.
“Well, we are in a democracy. And so, we won’t stop them from exercising their rights of speaking and grouping for political purposes,” he concluded. The governor’s comments underscore the growing political tensions in the state as the 2027 general election cycle approaches.
