By Kelvin Obambon
A crisis has erupted within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State over the meager monthly stipends disbursed from the state executive committee to local government chapters and ward executive members.
Kelvin Njong, chairman of the Forum of APC Chapter Chairmen and Secretaries in Cross River, revealed that each ward executive committee, comprising 27 members, receives only N20,000 monthly. This revelation came during a joint meeting of the Forum of APC Chapter Chairmen and Secretaries and APC Ward Chairmen and Secretaries held in Calabar on Tuesday.
Njong also highlighted the stark disparity in fund distribution, noting that the 5,778 party officials across local government areas and wards share N9,200,000, while the state executive committee, with just 36 members, receives over N40,000,000 every month.
Njong revealed the shocking arithmetic, thus “N20,000 is what the party usually pays to each ward exco made up of 27 members. With N20,000 allocated for a 27-member ward executive committee, each member is left with an estimated monthly stipend of approximately N700.”
This issue was formally presented in a communiqué dated November 7, 2025, which was sent to the Governor, the party’s state leader. The chapter chairmen directly accused the state party chairman of “lopsided allocation of statutory party funds.”
The aggrieved officials further complained of a three-month delay in stipend payments, which they said has “crippled the operation of party offices and undermined the welfare of party members, with severe economic consequences.”
Njong lamented that “In the history of the party’s administration in the state, no previous state chairman has withheld stipends meant for chapter and ward officials for any reason.”
The forum reiterated its demands in a letter to the Governor, urging the party leadership to mandate the state chairman to immediately clear all outstanding local government and ward stipends to ease the hardship faced by party officials.
They also called for a fairer fund-sharing formula, recommending that 70% of monthly funds be allocated to local governments and wards, which account for 5,778 officials, while 30% be reserved for the state executive committee’s 36 members.
Franklin Egbai, chairman of the Forum of Ward Chairmen, expressed full solidarity with the chapter chairmen, affirming that all 196 ward chairmen support these demands. He condemned the token stipends as unacceptable and lamented that their financial struggles have prevented them from extending Governor Bassey Otu’s “Season of Sweetness” initiative to grassroots levels.
The meeting concluded with a unanimous endorsement of Governor Bassey Otu for a second term.
