By Kelvin Obambon
The Cross River State Consultative Forum (CRSCF) has hit out at the former state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barr. Alphonsus Ogar Eba, accusing him of political opportunism and “sour grapes” following his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement issued in Calabar Wednesday, the Forum contrasted Eba’s current hostile rhetoric with years of effusive praise he showered on Governor Bassey Edet Otu during his tenure as the ruling party’s chairman.
The statement, signed by CRSCF Chairman Barr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo and Secretary Dr. Julius Ochim Okputu, described Eba’s sudden about-face as a “chameleon-like” transformation dictated by personal political setbacks rather than principled opposition.
The group detailed a timeline of Eba’s previous public endorsements of Governor Otu between 2023 and late 2025, noting that the former chairman had frequently referred to Otu as the “Sweetest Prince” and a redeemer of good governance.
According to the Forum, Eba’s past endorsements included a campaign in Ogoja in January 2023 where he declared that Otu’s track record surpassed all rival governorship candidates. In April same year, he guaranteed that the governance mistakes of the previous administration would not be repeated under Otu.
In March 2024, Eba publicly shielded Governor Otu from political witch-hunt allegations, defending the administration’s asset recovery initiatives as acts of justice. And then in November 2025, he credited Otu’s leadership style with driving major political realignments and expanding the APC’s membership across the state.
The Forum noted that Eba’s stance shifted dramatically after December 2025, when 30 out of 32 members of the APC State Executive Committee passed a thunderous vote of no confidence against him. The impeachment followed heavy allegations of financial mismanagement, embezzlement of party funds, non-payment of staff stipends, and an authoritarian leadership style. Following failed legal challenges, Eba resigned from the APC and joined the opposition PDP, where he was named a running mate.
Now speaking from the opposition platform, Eba has criticized the administration’s high-profile drive to reclaim state oil wells, labeling it “patriotic jingoism” and demanding a probe under an “#ExposetheBribeGiver” campaign.
The Forum however dismissed these attacks, characterizing them as a coordinated effort to blackmail the incumbent administration. It also pushed back against a recent quality-of-life report by SBM Intelligence, which they claimed Eba has attempted to leverage against the governor, calling the report’s conclusions flawed due to “significant methodological limitations and sweeping generalizations.”
While acknowledging that Governor Otu’s “People First” administration faces ongoing challenges – such as persistent flooding in vulnerable communities and the implementation pace of certain public projects – the CRSCF argued that the government’s visible achievements tilt the scales heavily in its favour.
The group highlighted several key developments under the current administration, including the rehabilitation of over 426 kilometers of roads, refurbishment of public schools, funding of WAEC/NECO examination fees for indigenes, and upgraded maternal care.
In the agriculture sector CRSCF highlighted the distribution of mini-tractors and the launch of the state’s first licensed soil fertility map to boost farmer incomes. The group equally listed the recovery of legacy assets like Tinapa from AMCON, consistent payment of salaries/pensions, and the resumption of gratuity payments after an eight-year impasse.
The Forum appealed to citizens of Cross River to judge political actors by their consistency and character rather than shifting rhetoric ahead of the next political cycle.
“The chameleon may change its colors, but the river remembers its true path,” the statement read, adding that the electorate would ultimately decide the state’s direction through the ballot box in 2027 based on tangible results rather than political posturing.
