Cross River gov’t gives Archibong ultimatum to apologise or face legal action
By Akpan David, Calabar
The Cross River State Government has given the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Sir Arthur Jarvis Archibong, 48 hours to publicly apologise to Governor Bassey Otu or face legal action.
Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Ekpenyong Cobham, disclosed this on Monday at a news conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Calabar.
Cobham said the apology must be made publicly and published in two national newspapers, as well as broadcast on radio and television stations.
He added that Jarvis Archibong must also personally apologise to the governor, warning that failure to comply would prompt the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to commence legal proceedings against him.
The commissioner said the government was compelled to respond to the reported violence in Calabar South during the PDP governorship candidate’s consultation visit to a paramount ruler on Friday.
According to him, the visit was disrupted by reported gunfire, prompting concerns over the circumstances that led to the incident.
Cobham absolved the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of involvement in the shooting, saying his findings pointed to disagreements within the PDP.
He alleged that a letter earlier sent by Jarvis Archibong to the paramount ruler, warning against receiving another PDP faction, contributed to the development, although the candidate later withdrew the letter and apologised.
“It was principally because of the letter against the other faction that triggered the violence from my personal findings,” Cobham said.
He also alleged that disagreement over the sharing of money among different support groups during the PDP visit may have contributed to the incident.
Cobham said he had seen the apology sent by Jarvis Archibong to the paramount ruler, which, according to him, referenced Governor Otu.
“We’re demanding that Arthur Jarvis issue an apology to Governor Otu and the state government in different mass media, including two national newspapers. Failing to do this within 48 hours, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice will initiate legal proceedings against him and his party,” he said.
