Complete List of Governors of Cross Rivers State and Their Deputies
Complete List of Past and Current Governors of Cross Rivers State and Their Deputies The names below are a transition from the South-Eastern to the present day Cross River State.
Name | Deputies | Years in Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
Udokaha Jacob Esuene | Not Specified | May 1967 - July 1975 | Military |
Paul Ufuoma Omu | Not Specified | February 1976 - July 1978 | Military |
Muftau Adegoke Babatunde Elegbede | Not Specified | July 1978 - October 1979 | Military |
Clement Nyong Isong | Not Specified | October 1979 - October 1983 | NPN |
Chief Donald Dick Etiebet | Not Specified | October 1983 - December 1983 | NPN |
Dan Patrick Archibong | Not Specified | May 1984 December 1986 | Military |
Eben Ibim Princewil | Not Specified | December 1986- December 1989 | Military |
Ernest Attah | Not Specified | December 1989 - January 1992 | Military |
Clement David Ebri | Not Specified | January 1992 - November 1993 | |
NRC | |||
Air Commodore (retired) Ibrahim Kefas | Not Specified | December 1993 - September 1994 | Military |
Air Vice Marshal Gregory Agboneni | September 1994 - August 1996 | Military |
|
Colonel Umar Farouk Ahmed | Not Specified | August 1996 - August 1998 | Military |
Navy Captain Christopher Osondu | Not Specified | August 1998 - May 1999 | Military |
Donald Duke | Efiok Cobham | May 1999 - May 2007 | PDP |
Liyel Imoke | Efiok Cobham | May 2007 - May 2015 | PDP |
Benedict Bengiuoshuye Ayade | Ivara Ejemot Esu | May 2015 - May 2023 | APC |
Bassey Edet Otu | Peter Odey | May 2023 – Till Now | APC |
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The Current Governor of Cross River State
Currently serving as governor of Cross River State is Bassey Edet Otu. After winning the governorship race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party, he took office on May 29, 2023.
He was born on October 18, 1959, in Adiabo, State Odukpani local government area of Cross Rivers State. He spent his early years between Jos, Plateau State, and Calabar, where his father served as a missionary for the Church of Scotland.
Otu graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Calabar University’s Faculty of Social Sciences. He worked in the banking and petroleum industries before entering politics.
Political Career
Otu’s political career started in 2003 when he was elected to serve as the Calabar Municipality/Odukpani Federal Constituency’s representative in the House of Representatives. Later, in April 2007, he was reelected.
During his time as a member of the House of Representatives, he held several prominent positions such as the Vice Chairman of the House Committee on National Population and the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum (Upstream).
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He was also a member of the committees on Power, Ministry of the Niger Delta, Inter-Parliamentary Relations, Inter-Intra Party Relations, Environment, Water Resources, and Defense.
As his political career progressed, he was elected to represent the Cross River Southern Senatorial District as a senator in 2011.
He held the positions of Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and, subsequently, of the Senate Committee on Banking and Other Financial Institutions throughout his time in the Senate.
He was also on the Committee on Water Resources, Power, Navy, and Petroleum. In 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) board.
Governorship Election and Appointment
After receiving 258,619 votes, Otu was declared the victor of the Cross River State gubernatorial election held on March 18, 2023.
He gained more votes than the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Sandy Ojang Onor, who came in with 179,636. Otu took the oath of office as the 18th governor of Cross River State on May 29, 2023.
Recent Developments
A few of his recent developments include appointing several significant individuals since taking office, including the directors general for numerous state agencies and boards and 83 aides, including personal assistants, special assistants, and senior special advisers.
Furthermore, within the first year of his administration, Governor Otu’s administration paid down a total of N55 billion in debts.
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Current Deputy Governor of Cross River State
Records have it that he has been since 2019; Peter Odey has held the position of deputy governor in Cross River State. Odey attended St. Benedict’s Primary School in Ogoja, Cross River State, for his elementary education.
After that, he attended Army Day Secondary School and Government Technical College in Ogoja in 1993. Odey continued with the University of Calabar to study sociology, where he earned a BSc (Hons) in 1999.
Later, in 2002, he graduated with a master’s degree in political sociology from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and in 2009, he received a master’s degree in international relations from London Metropolitan University, with a focus on peace and conflict resolution.
Odey recently graduated from the University of Calabar in 2023 with a PhD in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. Odey has received recognition for his cooperative style in working on development projects in Cross River State with UNICEF.
He was appointed to lead the State Steering Committees in 2023 to create a state-wide 5-year development plan.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_River_State
https://www.nigerdeltabudget.org/overview-of-cross-river/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassey_Otu
https://leadership.ng/unicef-appoints-cross-river-deputy-gov-odey-to-chair-development-ctte/
