As the date for the governorship and state Assembly elections draw near, the gubernatorial ambition of Senator (Prince) Bassey Otu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Cross River State has received a huge boost, as more prominent professional and support groups have continued to declare support for him.
The latest group to endorse the Sweet Prince, as he is fondly called is the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, ANCOPSS, in the Northern senatorial district, in Ogoja.
Expressing delight over the opportunity to meet with the governorship hopeful, the leadership of ANCOPSS in the Northern senatorial district said that the meeting was important because it was the first time ANCOPSS was meeting with any governorship candidate since 1999.
They requested Senator Otu to ensure that principals of secondary schools are also considered for the position of commissioner and permanent secretary when elected.
Responding, Otu, equally filled with joy to have met with the principals, said he insisted on meeting with them because of the critical role they play in moulding leaders of the nation.
Otu said, “When we get into office by the grace of God, we will sit together with you in a round table and look at some of those requests that you have made and see which one favours the people most. This is because our government will be that of the people first. But essentially, we intend to bring back that community educational system in our schools. If you look at our manifesto, you will realize that we are looking at bringing those standards we had before now that added value to our educational system.”
Senator Otu also met with the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, and other religious bodies in the Central senatorial district, admonishing them to rise as a church and stand for what is right and just.
He said, “The church, apart from being a spiritual place, is also a place to build character. So when the church sees what is right, they should say it. In our state today, we have a seamless rotational plan that has made us enjoy peace for a long time. But today we have people who are bent on destroying that seamless transition so that we will have chaos. So, I expect the church at this time to rise and speak with one voice against such.”
