Massive Defection Rocks Labour Party in Calabar Municipal as SA Inter-Party Affairs, Nkoyo Otu, Alongside Thousands of Supporters, Joins APC Ahead of Local Government Council Elections
By Wale Smith – Calabar
In a major political shift within Ward Five of Calabar Municipal Local Government Area, Cross River State, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) scored a significant victory as Hon. Nkoyo Otu, SA Inter-Party Affairs to Governor Bassey Edet Otu, officially defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the APC along with thousands of her supporters made up of men and women.
This influential defection occurred on October 31, 2024, just days before the Local Government Council Elections scheduled for November 2, 2024. The event was held at No. 1 Capt. Otu Close, Off WAPI Junction, Calabar.
At the gathering, Capt. Otu Ita, an elder statesman and Special Adviser to the Governor on Marine Services, hailed Hon. Otu as a “pillar” within the Labour Party.
“Her defection today is a significant gain for the APC,” Capt. Ita noted. “She has been a prominent figure in the Labour Party, both in Calabar Municipal and the wider state. Her leadership is evident from the hundreds of women defecting with her.”
“This type of mass defection is rare in recent times, and we’re thrilled to have her join us. Having her in Ward Five is a substantial blessing for our party,” he added.
Apostle James Anam, the APC’s Chairmanship Candidate for Calabar Municipal, also extended a warm welcome to Hon. Otu, commending her bold decision.
“I welcome my sister, Hon. Nkoyo Otu, and congratulate her and her supporters for taking this brave step into the progressive fold. She embodies progress, and now she’s back where she belongs.”
In a ceremonial gesture, Chief Alex Essien, Chairman of Ward Five, presented the symbolic APC broom to Hon. Otu, officially inducting her and her followers into the party.
“With the authority vested in me as Chairman of Ward Five, I present this broom to you as the emblem of the APC, welcoming you fully into our fold,” Essien declared.
Expressing her gratitude, a visibly elated Hon. Nkoyo Otu thanked the APC family for the warm reception, pledging her commitment to advancing the party’s success in the forthcoming elections and beyond.
“I am thrilled to be back among familiar faces,” she said. “I was once a member of the APC, and now I’ve returned home. I assure the leadership of Ward Five and Calabar Municipal that I will deploy the same strength and strategy that once served the Labour Party in 2023 to secure victories for the APC, starting with the November 2nd Local Government Council Elections and continuing through the 2027 General Elections.”
Some of her supporters, in their statements, also expressed optimism about the APC’s promises of change and reiterated their resolve to work assiduously towards ensuring the party’s success in the upcoming local government council elections and beyond.
