Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, has sworn-in the 18 local government chairmen and vice chairmen who emerged victorious at the November 2 local government elections.

The 18 elected chairmen and their vices all emerged under the flagship of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The APC recorded a clean sweep in the elections, winning all 18 chairmanship seats and 196 councillorship positions.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Calabar, Otu tasked the new leaders with the responsibility of serving the people with utmost dedication.

He underscored the importance of transparency, accountability, and the ‘People First’ governance approach.

The Governor highlighted key priorities for the new leadership to include community development, addressing infrastructure needs, and improving public services at the grassroots level.

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“Your victory is a call to action to serve the people of Cross River and deliver on your promises with integrity. We have a goal as a state, and it is important to align with this goal. We want to build our Gross Domestic Product (GDP); we want to attract investment. We want our people to live better.”

He noted that as each local government council is birthed in the euphoria of autonomy, there is a corresponding burden of statutory responsibilities as enshrined in the First Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a mandate,

“As the closest tier of government to the people, the core mandate of every local government council is the provision of basic amenities. The accomplishment of this task shall be a litmus test for the huge confidence the electorate repose in you and a referendum on your capacity to deliver on your campaign promises,” he added.

Responding on behalf of the inaugurated officials, the Chairman of Obudu local government area, Mr Udiandeye Peter assured the Governor and the party, and all Cross Riverians that the newly elected leaders ensure that the democratic dividends of democracy would be brought to the to the grassroots.