Call Your Chief Of Staff To Order, Group Tells Gov Otu

A frontline support group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the Cross Rivers state Governor, Bassey Otu, to caution his Chief of Staff(CoS), Dr Emmanuel Ironbar, insisting people of the state did not elect him as governor.

The APC group, under the auspices of the Emerging Progressive Leaders Forum (EPLF), claimed it has received a ‘Save Our Souls’ message from several appointees in the Governor Otu-led administration in the state.

In a statement released Tuesday in Abuja and signed by the general secretary of the group, Francis Bassey, EPLF said there is a growing discontent brewing within the Cross River State Government as senior political appointees raised alarm over what they describe as the hostile and overpowering grip of the CoS on the running of state affairs.

Bassey said that many within the administration fear that a single unelected official has effectively usurped the authority of constitutionally recognised officeholders, creating a climate of intimidation and administrative paralysis.

“The Chief of Staff to the Governor has accumulated unprecedented influence, sidelining Commissioners and diverting control of critical government functions into his own hands.

“He is not the Governor. There are complaints that appointees cannot access funds, execute projects, or even make basic decisions without their personal approval. They are tired, and they need Governor Otu to take back control.

“The Chief of Staff is traditionally tasked with coordinating the governor’s schedule and staff, but the situation in Cross River State is said to have gone far beyond acceptable limits.

“The report that the Chief of Staff now determines: Which ministries receive funding; Which programs move forward; Who gains or loses political relevance; Access to security and administrative approvals, is unacceptable,” the statement said.

It noted that the CoS should know that commissioners are legally empowered to run their ministries, and not live in fear of falling out of favour.

“Some claim they have been reduced to ‘begging’ the Chief of Staff for funds already appropriated for their ministries. Several appointees described their tenure as one of humiliation, noting that lavish appearances mask a stark reality of dependency and pressure.

“What is happening in Cross River State is a systemic inversion of authority. Fear is governing, not policy. Governor Bassey Otu, who rode into office on the popular “People First” mantra, still enjoys wide public goodwill. Many in the administration remain loyal to him and are urging him to act before his legacy is permanently tainted.

“Silence now would mean he approves of what is happening. The people elected him, not the Chief of Staff. He must defend that mandate.

“There is only one elected Governor in Cross River State, and we are begging him: Save us from the Chief of Staff before governance collapses,” the statement added.