Cross River State Current Affairs 2026

Cross River State in 2026 is operating under the leadership of Governor Bassey Edet Otu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), whose administration is pursuing its People First agenda. The state government has placed strong emphasis on infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, tourism, electricity and social protection. Governor Otu signed the 2026 Appropriation Law in December 2025, with the original budget standing at about ₦961.62 billion. A supplementary appropriation passed in July 2026 subsequently increased the total budget to approximately ₦963.07 billion.

Infrastructure remains one of the most important issues in Cross River. The 2026 budget allocates about ₦671.27 billion to capital expenditure, supporting roads, bridges, healthcare facilities, education infrastructure, electricity and other development projects. The administration has also continued work around the Obudu Passenger and Cargo Airport, while negotiations and planning for the Bakassi Deep Seaport remain important parts of the state's long-term ambition to develop Cross River as a logistics and maritime hub.

Cross River's economy continues to depend heavily on federal transfers. The 2026 approved budget projects approximately ₦499.35 billion from the Federation Account, compared with about ₦53.36 billion in independent revenue. This means improving internally generated revenue remains an important fiscal challenge for the state. The government is also managing a significant inherited debt burden, with DMO data placing Cross River's total debt stock at roughly ₦455 billion as of June 2025 when domestic and external obligations are combined.

The state's population is estimated at approximately 5.02 million people in 2026, compared with 2,888,966 recorded in the 2006 population census. Cross River has 18 Local Government Areas, three senatorial districts and eight federal constituencies. Its large geographical area and relatively dispersed population create additional infrastructure and service-delivery challenges, particularly in rural communities and the northern parts of the state.

Political competition remains significant ahead of the 2027 elections. Cross River currently has two APC senators and one PDP senator. Williams Eteng Jonah represents Cross River Central, Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe represents Cross River North, while Asuquo Ekpenyong represents Cross River South. Senator Jarigbe moved from the PDP to the APC in 2025, but available parliamentary listings continued to identify him with the PDP in some records, making his current party affiliation an area that should be monitored and updated when official Senate records change.

Worker welfare has also remained a major governance issue. Cross River agreed to implement the ₦70,000 national minimum wage from December 1, 2024, with consequential adjustments across the salary structure. The state government has subsequently stated that the minimum wage is being fully implemented. The administration has also focused on clearing outstanding gratuities and improving the welfare of serving and retired public workers.