By Suleiman Anyalewechi
Group asks Governor to call him to order
The All Progressive Congress, APC, has called on the Governor of Cross River State, Bassy Otu, to, as a matter of urgency, rein in his Chief of Staff, CoS, Dr Emmanuel Ironbar, before he creates a big gulf between him and his appointees.
A support group within the state chapter of the APC “Emerging Progressive Leaders Forum, EPLF, in a Statement on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, said the over-bearing and domineering disposition of the Chief of Staff has become too suffocating for political appointees, including Commissioners, Special Advisers, and Senior Special Assistants, to bear.
The group informed that it has, in the last few months, received a plethora of distressed messages from several political office holders in Cross River State all complaining about “the hostile and overbearing attitude of the Chief of Staff.
According to the EPLF, the ugly situation has resulted in a growing discontent within Government circles, a development which it described as being potentially dangerous to the interest of the system ,and the APC as a party.
While insisting that he is not an elected official, the group decried the CoS’s deliberate efforts at hampering the functions of other political appointees and Government officials.
” The Chief of Staff to the Governor has accumulated unprecedented influence, sidelining Commissioners, and diverting control of critical Government functions into his hands.
“He is not the Governor . There are complaints that appointees cannot access funds, execute projects ,or even take basic decisions without his personal approval. They (appointees) 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 beyond acceptable limits .
“The report that the Chief of Staff now determines which ministries receive funding ; which programmes move forward; who gains or loses political relevance; access to security and administrative approvals are unacceptable.
“Some of the appointees claim that they have been reduced to “begging” the Chief of Staff for funds already appropriated for their ministries.
“A number of the appointees desribed their tenure as one of humiliation, noting that lavish appearances mask reality of dependency and pressure”, the group stated
It also emphasized that what is playing out in the State is tantamount to a systemic inversion of authority with “fear governing, not policy.
This is as the body noted that the Governor still enjoys popular following , owing to his “people first” mantra, with many within the Government circle still fiercely loyal to him
But to prove that he is not aware and in support of the shenanigans ongoing, the group urged the Governor to move swiftly to restore confidence and trust within the system by way of calling his Chief of Staff to order.
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