• Shettima leads Tinubu’s re-election campaign rally
• Party links second-term appeal to infrastructure, economic reforms
• Cross River mobilisation faces test at the polling units
By PHC Telegraph
The All Progressives Congress on Monday mounted a major mobilisation in Calabar for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, seeking to turn a substantial gathering of supporters into an electoral recovery in Cross River State.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima led the presidential campaign engagement on Tinubu’s behalf, with Governor Bassey Otu and other party leaders receiving him in the state capital. Channels Television reported a large gathering of party supporters at the stadium, although an independently verified attendance figure was not available.
Held at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, the November 2 rally formed part of the APC’s nationwide campaign programme ahead of the 2027 general elections. It followed a series of engagements aimed at mobilising women, youths and community structures behind Tinubu, Otu and other candidates of the party.
Addressing supporters, Shettima defended the administration’s economic reforms and urged Cross River voters to support Tinubu for another term.
According to Daily Post’s account of his remarks, the Vice-President cited infrastructure development, including the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, and argued that Cross River’s tourism, agricultural and maritime potential placed it in a strategic position to benefit from the administration’s programmes.
The rally’s political significance lies partly in the outcome of the last presidential election, when APC’s control of the state government did not translate into victory for its presidential candidate.
In 2023, Peter Obi, then the Labour Party candidate, won Cross River with 179,917 votes. Tinubu secured 130,520, while the Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar received 95,425.
The figures left Tinubu trailing Obi by 49,397 votes, providing a clear measure of the ground the ruling party must recover.
Ahead of Monday’s rally, Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan-Enoh, acknowledged the need to improve on that performance, urging APC mobilisation structures to pursue victory across the state’s 18 local government areas.
Speaking during the inauguration of Project Beyond’s southern senatorial district structure, he directed coordinators to take their campaign into communities, markets and polling units.
“We are interested in the quantity and the volume of votes,” he said. His remarks placed emphasis on sustained voter engagement beyond attendance at political gatherings.
The party’s appeal has also drawn heavily on its account of federal support for Cross River.
State APC Chairman, Chris Etta, cited the coastal highway and proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport among initiatives underpinning the case for another Tinubu term. Those arguments put project delivery at the centre of the campaign, with funding, construction progress and eventual economic benefits providing benchmarks against which voters can assess the promises.
The mobilisation extended beyond the stadium. Support groups held a solidarity walk through Calabar on Sunday, while the party’s women’s directorate engaged traders at Watt Market. Photographs from these separate activities therefore depict different stages of the campaign build-up.
There were consequences for everyday movement in the city. CrossRiverWatch reported road closures, diversions and transport difficulties affecting commuters, students and businesses, with several major routes experiencing disruption.
For APC, the turnout offers evidence of an ability to organise and attract supporters. Its electoral value will depend on whether that organisation produces additional registered voters at the polling units and persuades people beyond the party’s existing base.
Attention now turns towards the next campaign stops, including Port Harcourt on November 7, according to the published timetable. The challenge carried forward from Calabar is whether the party can translate its public show of support into the votes needed to reverse its previous presidential defeat in Cross River.
