LunagisthubBAKASSI STAKEHOLDERS SEEK REDRESS FROM THE GOVERNOR, PETITION COUNCIL CHAIRMAN OVER NEGLIGENCE AND MISCONDUCT DURING PARTY CONGRESS.
As 2027 elections approach, parties are filling key roles with loyal members. Unlike other LGAs, Bakassi’s process is stuck due to the Council Chairman’s alleged interference, sparking tension. Critical Stakeholders Who are concern over the unity, peaceful existence and Success of the party have raise concern seeking redress from the Governor His Excellency Sen. Prince Bassey Edet Otu Who is the leader of the party in the state to intervene and ensure a fair process.”
The petition read:
Bakassi Upland Leaders,
Bakassi Local Government Area.
22nd February, 2026.
His Excellency,
The Executive Governor,
Cross River State, Government House, Calabar.
FORMAL PROTEST REPORT ON THE CONDUCT OF THE BAKASSI CHAPTER CONGRESS HELD ON SATURDAY, 21ST FEBRUARY, 2026.
Your Excellency,
We, the Leaders of Bakassi Upland, write this protest report with the deepest sense of responsibility, patriotism, and commitment to the ideals of democratic participation, fair play, and inclusive governance.
We respectfully draw Your Excellency’s attention to the grave irregularities, deliberate manipulations, and brazen acts of political exclusion that characterised the Bakassi Local Government Chapter Congress held on Saturday, 21st February, 2026.
I. BACKGROUND
Party congresses are, by their very nature, exercises in democratic self-determination — occasions upon which party members, through established guidelines and inclusive processes, elect officers to lead their chapter structures. Your Excellency has publicly and repeatedly affirmed that you will not impose candidates on the people. It is against this backdrop that the events of 21st February, 2026 represent a flagrant departure from the principles of your administration and the spirit of party democracy.
II. SPECIFIC GRIEVANCES AND ACTS OF MALFEASANCE
2.1 Unlawful Constitution of the Chapter Congress Committee.
The Chairman of Bakassi Local Government Council constituted a Congress Committee whose mandate, orientation, and activities were, from the outset, directed at manipulating the outcome of the Chapter Congress in favour of his preferred candidates. The composition and operations of this committee were fundamentally at variance with established party guidelines. Rather than serving as a neutral body to facilitate a free and fair congress, the committee functioned as an instrument for executing the Chairman’s preconceived political agenda.
2.2 Deliberate Subversion of the Agreed Zoning Arrangement.
It was the collective understanding of stakeholders that the Chapter positions would be inclusively zoned to reflect the geopolitical realities and power-sharing sensitivities of Bakassi. The Council Chairman, however, unilaterally discarded this arrangement and proceeded to impose an alternative, self-serving zoning formula. This anti-people zoning was deliberately crafted to shut out the Chapter Chairmanship candidate of choice from the Ikang Bloc — a clear act of political witch-hunting against perceived opponents.
2.3 Total Disregard for the Inputs of Bakassi Upland Leaders.
When Bakassi Upland Leaders sought engagement and presented reasoned positions on the conduct of the Congress, the Council Chairman defiantly dismissed their inputs without consideration. Independent-minded leaders who advocated for a transparent and inclusive process were sidelined and their counsel ignored. This attitude reflects a troubling contempt for the legitimate stakeholders of the Bakassi Upland political space.
2.4 Invocation of His Excellency’s Name to Legitimise Irregularities.
When Ikang Bloc Leaders demanded explanations for the evident bias in the conduct of the Congress, the Chairman and his allies resorted to what can only be described as the celebrity endorsement method — falsely claiming that the Governor himself, through his Chief of Staff, had personally selected the candidate being imposed on the people.
Your Excellency, this claim is not only deeply disrespectful to your office, it directly contradicts your own public declaration that you will not impose candidates on the people. The invocation of your name and that of your Chief of Staff appears calculated to lend false legitimacy to a fundamentally compromised process.
2.5 Conduct of a Mock Congress with Unknown and Unvetted Candidates.
In what amounted to a sham exercise, the Congress produced three individuals who had, at no point prior to the Congress date, expressed any public interest in contesting Chapter positions, engaged in consultations with party stakeholders, or made themselves known to the party faithful in any meaningful way. Those who had, long before the Congress was scheduled, openly expressed interest, conducted consultations, and prepared themselves for legitimate contest were deliberately shut out. This substitution of genuine aspirants with unknown, hand-picked figures renders the entire exercise a mockery of party democracy.
2.6 Failure to Complete the Congress Exercise. Compounding all the foregoing, the Congress was hurriedly and abruptly concluded without the election of other critical Chapter officers, including the Chapter Secretary, Chapter Women Leader, and Chapter Youth Leader. The hasty dispersal of participants without completing the mandatory exercise further confirms the chaotic and pre-planned nature of the proceedings and leaves the chapter structurally incomplete and non-functional.
2.7 Complete Exclusion of Bakassi Upland Leaders.
The entirety of the exercise was conducted in a manner that ensured the complete washing of the hands of Bakassi Upland Leaders from the Chapter Congress. Their exclusion was not incidental but deliberate — a calculated effort to diminish the relevance and standing of Bakassi Upland Leadership in the party structure of Bakassi Local Government Area.
III. CONSEQUENCES AND IMPLICATIONS
The events of 21st February, 2026 carry far-reaching consequences. They undermine the credibility of the party structure in Bakassi, alienate a significant bloc of loyal party members and supporters, and create dangerous fissures that could weaken the party’s electoral prospects in the area.
Furthermore, the association of Your Excellency’s name and office with these irregularities — without your authorisation — risks reputational harm to your administration if left unaddressed.
IV. PRAYERS AND REQUESTS
In view of the foregoing, we most respectfully urge Your Excellency to:
1. Direct the immediate nullification of the results of the Bakassi Chapter Congress of 21st February, 2026, on account of the gross irregularities and non-compliance with party guidelines that characterised the exercise.
2. Order the constitution of a fresh, credible, and transparent Congress Committee that is independent of the Council Chairman and his political machinery.
3. Ensure that a fresh Chapter Congress is conducted strictly in accordance with the party’s guidelines, with due respect for the agreed inclusive zoning arrangement and full participation of all Bakassi stakeholders, including Ikang Bloc Leaders and Bakassi Upland Leaders.
4. Investigate the conduct of the Council Chairman and the Congress Committee for acts of impersonation, misrepresentation, and abuse of office — particularly the false invocation of Your Excellency’s name and that of your Chief of Staff to legitimise irregularities.
5. Give assurance to the people of Bakassi Upland that your administration remains committed to inclusive, fair, and people-driven political processes in Bakassi Local Government Area, consistent with Your Excellency’s own public pledges.
V. CONCLUSION
Your Excellency, we remain unwavering in our commitment to the party and to the administration. It is precisely this commitment that compels us to bring these matters to your attention, confident that you share our belief in justice, fairness, and democratic integrity. We trust that Your Excellency will give this protest report the urgent and serious attention that the situation demands.
We remain, Your Excellency’s most loyal and committed party faithful.
Signed:
____________________
Leader/Spokesperson Bakassi Upland Leaders
_____________________
Secretary Bakassi Upland Leaders.
Having raise this concern, they leaders express optimism that the Governor would do the needful by ensuring the right thing is done for the unity, PEACE and Success of the party.
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