The Cross River State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Pastor Ekpenyong Ene Cobham, has demanded the immediate retraction of a social media publication alleging that Governor Bassey Otu directed the leadership of the state’s local government to deny a factional candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) access to campaign venues.
Cobham made the demand during a press briefing where he addressed recent political developments in the state, including the violence, vandalism and competing narratives that emerged from an incident involving supporters of rival political interests.
The Commissioner described the alleged publication as false and capable of undermining the peace and political stability being enjoyed in the state, insisting that the Governor neither issued any directive barring the PDP factional candidate from campaigning nor instructed any government official to obstruct the activities of opposition politicians.
According to him, his attention was drawn to the publication on October 2, prompting him to commence inquiries into the circumstances surrounding its origin and circulation.
Cobham said his investigation led him to the relevant government official, who denied receiving any directive from the Governor to prevent the opposition candidate from accessing any part of the state for political activities.
He further disclosed that the official showed him the publication on his phone and subsequently drew the attention of the individual named in the publication to the alleged misinformation.
The Commissioner said he also saw a response from the concerned individual apologising over the publication and directing that the statement be taken down.
He argued that the subsequent apology and removal of the publication further raised questions about the authenticity of the original claim.
Cobham therefore challenged journalists, particularly investigative reporters, to independently verify the circumstances surrounding the publication and establish the facts rather than relying solely on narratives circulating on social media.
He said the integrity of Governor Otu and the state government should not be dragged into political disputes through what he described as deliberate attempts to create sympathy or portray the administration as hostile to opposition political activities.
The Commissioner demanded an apology from the persons responsible for the publication and their media team, warning that failure to retract the statement and apologise within 48 hours could lead to legal action.
He maintained that the Governor had no reason to obstruct any political party or candidate from exercising legitimate political rights in the state, stressing that the administration remained committed to maintaining peace and providing an enabling environment for political activities.
Addressing questions on the violence associated with the political dispute, Cobham said the incident was rooted largely in internal disagreements within the opposition party, including disputes over legitimacy, leadership and political interests.
He said the government had no interest in interfering in the internal affairs of the opposition, insisting that political disagreements should not degenerate into violence, vandalism or destruction of property.
The Commissioner also dismissed suggestions that members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were responsible for the violence, saying available evidence did not show APC members participating in the confrontation.
He said political parties and their supporters must learn to resolve disagreements peacefully, warning that the resort to violence could undermine the relative peace the state had enjoyed.
Cobham also addressed concerns over the increasing circulation of unverified information, manipulated content and alleged artificial intelligence generated materials on social media.
He acknowledged the difficulty of regulating the digital space, describing misinformation as a global challenge that could not be eliminated overnight.
According to him, the government was exploring measures to strengthen its capacity to identify and respond to misleading information circulating across social media platforms.
He, however, cautioned journalists and members of the public against automatically accepting online publications as facts, urging them to verify the source and authenticity of information before sharing or reporting it.
The Commissioner stressed that the government would not respond to every anonymous claim on social media, but would intervene whenever information with identifiable origins was deemed capable of damaging the image and integrity of the state government.
He said security remained a major priority of the Otu administration, maintaining that the government would continue to take steps to protect residents and preserve the peace necessary for political and economic activities to thrive.
Cobham assured residents that political parties would be allowed to conduct legitimate campaigns across the state, provided such activities were carried out within the bounds of the law.
He urged political actors to shun violence, misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, stressing that disagreements over political interests should not be allowed to threaten the peace of Cross River State.
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