By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Calabar
A lawyer and political activist, Barrister Enama Clement Cyprian, has blamed the recurring violent clashes in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State on what he described as deep-rooted leadership failure across all levels in the area.
For several years, the Ochon, Alesi, Odonget and Esabang communities have been engulfed in intermittent violent confrontations that have left several persons dead and property destroyed, with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) recently drawing attention to the worsening humanitarian situation.
Speaking to journalists in Calabar on Wednesday, Cyprian, who is aspiring to represent Obubra I State Constituency in the House of Assembly, said the persistent bloodshed reflects a collapse of leadership and communal coordination in the area.
He said his decision to join the race was driven by a desire to provide what he called “quality representation and the leadership Obubra desperately needs,” insisting that the area has suffered leadership decay over time.
“After the demise of the previous leaders we had, like the late Deputy Governor, Chief John Oyom Okpa, Obubra has never been the same. We are lost. You turn left, there is war; you turn right, there is war. There is war everywhere,” he said.
Cyprian added that he was on a “salvage mission” to restore unity and structure to the communities, pledging to reorganise local leadership systems if elected to the State Assembly.
According to him, “If elected, I will help by reorganising, rearranging leadership structures and streamlining things that are missing. We need to bring back Obubra.”
The lawyer-turned-politician, who said he has never held public office, noted that he is funding his political ambition from personal resources, insisting that his concern is the future of the area rather than political gain.
He further lamented what he described as Obubra’s declining political relevance, poor infrastructure, prolonged electricity outage, and lack of basic amenities such as potable water, calling for unity among residents to address the challenges collectively.
Cyprian also urged support for Governor Bassey Otu’s re-election bid, expressing confidence that the governor would consolidate ongoing developments in the state if given a second term.
