Second from right: NUJ CRS Council Chairman, Comrade Archibong Bassey; 3rd from right: Commissioner for Information CRS, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham; 5th from right: Comrade Mike Abang, NUJ, CRS Council Secretary; other members of the Information Ministry, and NUJ members.
Williams Akpan, Calabar
The Cross River State Commissioner for Information, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, has challenged critics of the administration to substantiate allegations against the government, insisting that public discourse must be based on verifiable facts.
Cobham spoke on Tuesday in Calabar during a media engagement convened against the backdrop of what he described as growing misinformation surrounding recent development in the state.
The briefing became tense when journalists sought clarification on a petition reportedly filed against Udama and whether the document was sponsored by the state government.
Cobham denied any government involvement, arguing that an official petition initiated by the administration would have emanated from the appropriate government authorities.
“The individuals who initiated the petition acted in their personal capacities, even though they used their official designations for identification,” he said.
He said the matter is already before the court and should be allowed to follow the judicial process without being turned into a political controversy.
“This is not a subject of politics. It is a criminal issue. It is an act of absolute insolence,” Cobham said.
He challenged persons defending Udama to present their arguments before the court, while urging Udama to make public any information capable of supporting the allegations being raised.
Cobham also used the occasion to caution against what he described as an increasing tendency to rely on unsubstantiated claims as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said residents deserved accurate information about government policies, programmes and performance rather than claims that could not withstand scrutiny.
The commissioner criticised opposition politicians and former public officials who, he said, were attacking the Otu administration without adequately accounting for their own records while in government.
“Political engagement should be centred on policies, programmes, development indices and verifiable achievements, not personal attacks,” he said.
Cobham defended Governor Bassey Otu’s engagements outside Cross River, arguing that governance required interaction with federal institutions and other stakeholders to attract projects and interventions to the state.
He also challenged opposition politicians to a public debate on the administration’s performance, saying such an engagement would allow residents to assess competing claims.
“Let them call once for a debate. Let them try and raise the bar,” Cobham said.
He identified the state’s campaign for recognition as an oil-producing state as one of the issues he believed should receive greater attention in public discussions about Cross River’s development.
Cobham, who said he had previously operated from the opposition, maintained that criticism was necessary in a democracy but should be constructive and supported by evidence.
He urged critics to “educate themselves to the strata” at which the administration was operating and called on politicians to move beyond what he described as “rudimentary arguments.”
On the allegation that the state government pays cult groups or cultists to maintain peace, Cobham dismissed the claim as unsubstantiated and demanded evidence, including the identity of alleged recipients and documentation linking any payment to government.
“I can’t speak into what does not exist. I would like you to bring the basis showing that the government paid this person, and the identity of that person, which you will have to prove is a cultist,” he said.
“I am not a Commissioner for Google. I am a Commissioner for facts.” Cobham pledged that his ministry would continue engaging journalists and the public to provide accurate information on government activities to discourage fake news.
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