The streets of Calabar came alive on Saturday as youths, women, elders and political supporters took part in a solidarity walk organised by the Evidence Group in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Cross River State Governor Bassey Edet Otu.
The procession, which organisers described as a one-million-man solidarity walk, passed through major routes in the state capital amid music, dancing, colourful displays and political chants.
Participants were heard chanting, ‘Four More Years for the Sweetest Prince!’ while others chorused, ‘No Vacancy in Diamond Hill!’, a reference to the governor’s official residence.
The organisers said the mobilisation brought together supporters from different communities and sections of the state as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
They said the walk was also aimed at encouraging citizens, particularly youths, to participate actively in the democratic process and contribute to determining the leadership and direction of government through the ballot.
The Director-General of the Evidence Group, Bassey Eyoma, said the turnout demonstrated the level of community support for the movement.
‘You can see the level of community support we are witnessing here. This is one of the largest we have ever seen. We have only just started, and this is the first major activity of this group,’ Eyoma said.
He said the Calabar walk was the first phase of a wider mobilisation programme that would extend to the Northern and Central Senatorial Districts and eventually all 18 local government areas of the state.
Eyoma said the group would mobilise support for Tinubu, Otu and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.
‘We must deliver five over five. We are looking at giving the President about four million votes, and we must achieve that by mobilising the people and taking the votes to the polling units,’ he said.
He also urged youths to translate their numerical strength into constructive civic participation and play an active role in shaping the future of the state and country.
Representing Governor Otu, the Deputy Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. Sylvester Agabi, commended the participants for their confidence in what he described as the administration’s People First philosophy.
Agabi highlighted the government’s emphasis on security and youth engagement, attributing the reported reduction in cult-related clashes in the state to the administration’s security measures.
‘The Governor has done his best to ensure that security is given top priority in Cross River State. We no longer have the kind of cult clashes that were previously experienced in the State,’ he said.
He urged the youths to sustain their unity and channel their collective energy towards constructive civic engagement and the development of the state.
‘When the youths are united, we will be able to contribute meaningfully to the development of the State and support the efforts of the government,’ Agabi said.
Also speaking, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Ironbar, described the mammoth turnout as evidence of the enthusiasm generated by the movement and what he characterised as the positive impact of the administration on residents.
‘Evidence, in the first place, is evidence of good living and evidence of the performance of our Governor, as well as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,’ Ironbar said.
Ironbar noted that participants had travelled from different parts of the state to identify with the mobilisation, saying the procession provided an opportunity for supporters to express their views while also showcasing Calabar, its distinctive ambience and some of the routes associated with the city’s celebrated Carnival.
The procession repeatedly reverberated with chants of ‘Four More Years for the Sweetest Prince!’, ‘No Vacancy in Diamond Hill!’ and other slogans expressing support for Governor Otu, as participants danced and waved banners and insignia of the movement.
For the organisers, however, the spectacle was intended to be more than a colourful political procession. It was presented as the opening chapter of a wider grassroots campaign to awaken political consciousness, strengthen community organisation and encourage young people to move from being passive spectators to active participants in the democratic process as Nigeria approaches the 2027 elections.
With plans to replicate the mobilisation across the three senatorial districts and the 18 Local Government Areas, the Evidence Group said the Calabar exercise was the beginning of a sustained engagement designed to take its message directly to communities and polling units across Cross River State.