The Cross River State Government has distanced Governor Bassey Otu from the arrest and prosecution of social commentator and entrepreneur, Dennis Odama, insisting that the case did not originate from the governor or the state government.
Odama was reportedly arrested by the police in Festac Town, Lagos State, before being transferred to Calabar, where he was arraigned before a Magistrates’ Court and remanded in custody.
The development has generated controversy in Cross River, particularly because the petition that reportedly triggered the case was said to have been filed by the Governor’s Special Adviser on General Duties, Ekpenyong Akiba, and the Commissioner for Works, Ankpo Pius.
According to a report by TheGuildNG, the two officials accused Odama of making comments and social media posts they considered inciting and defamatory against the governor and members of his administration.
However, the Commissioner for Information, Ekpenyong Cobham, has now rejected any suggestion that Governor Otu or the state government initiated the prosecution.
Speaking with journalists in Calabar, Cobham said the state government and the office of the governor should be separated from the matter because, according to him, the process did not originate from the government.
The commissioner maintained that the petition was filed by the individuals involved in their personal capacities over comments allegedly made by Odama.
He urged the public not to politicise the matter, stressing that it had entered the legal process and should be allowed to run its course through the courts.
Cobham also challenged Odama to present any evidence he may have concerning allegations he had made against government officials to the appropriate authorities rather than relying solely on social media.
The development has nevertheless raised fresh questions among Cross River residents about the increasingly heated relationship between government officials and critics of the administration.
For many observers, the key question is no longer simply whether Odama's comments were defamatory, but who initiated the legal action and whether public officials acted in their official or personal capacities.
The Commissioner for Information also called on journalists to independently verify claims before publication, saying the state government would provide information about its projects and policies to enable the media report more accurately.
He disclosed that the government was planning a project-by-project assessment of its projects, which would give journalists access to verified information about their status.
Meanwhile, the Odama case remains before the court, where the legality of the allegations and the evidence against him will ultimately be determined.
For now, the Otu administration's position is clear: the governor says, through his government, that the prosecution was not his initiative and that those who filed the petition did so in their personal capacities.
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