‘Otu is absentee Governor’ – PDP governorship candidate, Arthur Jarvis insists

Arthur Jarvis Archibong, the governorship candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State, has recently insisted that Bassey Otu is an absentee governor. Jarvis maintains that Otu spends less than ten days in the state, but over 20 days abroad or in Abuja. This claim was made during a news conference where Jarvis criticized the governor's continued absence from Cross River.

He alleged that Otu's absence negatively impacts the state, as governance is left to aides who make critical decisions on his behalf. This includes decisions to arrest and detain social media critics.

However, the Commissioner for Information, Ekpenyong Cobham, quickly responded to Jarvis's claims at a similar conference. Cobham dismissed Archibong's allegations, stating that he is from a different era and does not understand that the governor can effectively function from any part of the world with modern technology. Despite this, Jarvis reiterated his claims in a recent interview.

He noted that when critical events requiring the governor's personal presence occur, such as the recent SPAR shopping mall crisis caused by a landslide, Otu is never available. Jarvis accused Cobham of claiming that Otu's perpetual absence was to attract businesses to the state, but questioned what these travels have produced.

According to Jarvis, the governor keeps going out for the signing of MoUs, but Cross Riverians have not seen the dividends. He asked for evidence of how many MoUs have translated to successful projects that are addressing the state's problems. Jarvis also pointed out that after numerous MoUs, there are no factories, jobs, or relief for ordinary citizens.

He questioned why Cross Riverians can't be absent at home in the name of chasing investors abroad, while the state suffers from fires and water shortages. Jarvis ended his statement by asserting that Otu is an absentee governor.