By Kelvin Obambon
The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement on Monday inaugurated its Cross River State executive and donated 25 campaign vehicles to drive grassroots mobilisation across the state’s 25 constituencies ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The event, held at Calabar Municipal Council field, featured strong endorsements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Bassey Edet Otu and all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The vehicles were presented to enable door-to-door campaigns in every ward and local government area.
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Cross River Deputy Governor, Dr. Peter Odey, representing Governor Bassey Edet Otu, told the large crowd that the state “APC” and called for a clean sweep of all elective positions. “It is not only Tinubu we are going to vote for. We are going to vote for the Governor. We are going to vote for Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, the Standard. We are going to vote for our House of Representatives candidates. We are going to vote for all our House of Assembly members. So, we are going to do five over five,” Odey said.
He highlighted ongoing federal government’s projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway that started in the state, and announced that President Tinubu would visit Cross River on the 13th of this to flag off the Bakassi Deep Seaport project. Odey also noted the President’s commitment to restoring the state’s oil wells, describing Tinubu as “the only president that can make our state better for us.”
On the donated vehicles, Odey urged the recipients to use them strictly for mobilisation. “This vehicle is not for you to marry a new wife. This vehicle is not for you to get a new girlfriend. After the election, you are allowed to get a new girlfriend. But as for now, make the vehicle knock at every door.”
The Grand Patron of PBAT Movement, Chief Oweizidei Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), who was represented by Engr. Kestin Ebimorbowei Pondi, Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, formally inaugurated the Cross River chapter.
“We are not just inaugurating them. We are inaugurating them with 25 vehicles to campaign around the state. To campaign around the 25 constituencies in the state,” Pondi said.
He defended the administration’s reforms, comparing them to the painful but eventual rewards of pregnancy and farming, and argued that Tinubu had achieved more in three years than many developed nations managed in their early years of transformation. Pondi called for full support for the presidency down to the state House of Assembly, stressing that continuity was essential for sustained development in Cross River.
Earlier, the APC State Chairman, Sunny Etta, welcomed the support group, noting that no group had arrived with such a volume of vehicles. He declared that Cross Riverians were “100 percent PBAT” and urged residents, including those he described as “stranger elements,” to vote for the party in the interest of the state. “Cross River is the only address that we have,” Etta said.
National Coordinator of PBAT, Comrade Sunday Adekanbi, emphasized the need for continuity and increased FAAC allocations that had enabled states to pay salaries, pensions and fund projects. He called on youths, students, women and farmers to reject the opposition and mobilise from door to door, city to city and farm to farm, urging voters to “use your PVC to shame the opposition” in 2027.
The inauguration and vehicle donation mark a significant boost to the APC’s grassroots machinery in Cross River as the party seeks to consolidate support for President Tinubu and its candidates across all levels of government.
