Shettima asks Cross River to re-elect Tinubu and Otu, citing Bakassi seaport and coastal highway

Vice President Kashim Shettima took the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign to Calabar on Monday, telling Cross River residents that another term for President Bola Tinubu and Governor Bassey Otu would keep two big projects on track: the Bakassi Deep Seaport and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

Shettima stood in for Tinubu at the rally held at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, according to Vanguard and The Sun. He asked voters to return the President and the governor in 2027, along with APC candidates for the National Assembly and the state House of Assembly.

The Vice President said the party was asking for a fresh mandate on the strength of its record, and that those elected owe the public an account of their stewardship.

What the projects mean for residents

On the coastal highway, Shettima said it would link communities along the coast, make it easier to move goods and people, draw tourists and investors, and create thousands of jobs directly and indirectly.

He said the Bakassi seaport already has Federal Government approval and, once finished, would serve as an international gateway for shipping and a source of employment. Both projects, he argued, would put Cross River in a stronger position in the country's maritime economy.

He also raised education, saying the government's student financing scheme is meant to ease the cost on parents and make sure young Nigerians are not shut out of higher education because of money.

Shettima thanked Cross River voters for backing the administration over the past three years, describing the relationship as “an alliance of prosperity, an alliance of opportunity.” He said they had resisted what he called lies and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting the government.

For ordinary residents, the pitch ties the 2027 vote to jobs, transport and school fees. The seaport and highway are still promises rather than finished projects, and the sources did not give timelines or costs for either.

What happens next

The rally is part of the APC's push ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the party asking Cross River to renew mandates at federal and state level. Voters will decide whether the infrastructure plans and the student financing scheme are enough to earn another term.