A civic accountability group, Grassroots Development Monitor (GDM), has commended the Member representing Bekwarra/Obudu/Obanliku Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Peter Akpanke, for what it described as a deliberate ward-by-ward approach to constituency development.
The group said Akpanke has ensured that constituency projects and interventions reach communities across all the wards that make up the OBO Federal Constituency, covering Bekwarra, Obudu and Obanliku Local Government Areas.
According to GDM, the spread of projects across the constituency is one of the most notable features of Akpanke’s representation, with interventions covering water, education, electricity, roads, healthcare, agriculture, youth empowerment and social support.
Speaking on the assessment, GDM spokesman, Comrade Mark Ekanem, said the group undertook its review after tracking projects and interventions attributed to the lawmaker across the three LGAs.
He said the assessment was particularly focused on the geographical spread of constituency interventions, noting that representation should be measured not only by the number of projects facilitated but also by how widely such projects are distributed.
GDM cited the construction and rehabilitation of educational facilities in different communities, including classroom blocks at Olokpa in Beten Ward, Bekwarra, alongside other education projects in Obudu and Obanliku. A three-classroom block and office at Community Primary School, Olokpa, Beten Ward, was commissioned in February 2026.
The group also highlighted Akpanke’s water projects, including solar-powered boreholes in different communities across Obanliku, Obudu and Bekwarra.
Recent interventions include the solar-powered motorised borehole in Ukabe, Bayobri Village, Ukpe Ward, Obudu, where drilling was completed in September 2026, as well as the borehole intervention at Agim, Ukpah Ward, Bekwarra.
GDM said these projects complement earlier interventions including solar-powered boreholes at Sankwala Market, Obanliku, Obudu Old Market Park and Bekwarra Motor Park, as well as other water projects across the constituency. Akpanke’s published first-term stewardship report also listed solar streetlights and boreholes across communities in all three LGAs.
On electricity and community infrastructure, the group referenced solar streetlight installations in parts of Obanliku, Obudu and Bekwarra, including projects that commenced in Beten and Nyanya wards of Bekwarra and several communities in Obudu.
GDM further cited agricultural support, skills acquisition, women and youth empowerment, educational assistance, medical interventions and welfare programmes among the initiatives associated with Akpanke’s representation.
The group’s assessment also pointed to earlier interventions that included support for farmers in the three LGAs, empowerment programmes for youths and women, assistance to widows and vulnerable constituents, educational support and a free medical outreach that recorded more than 10,000 registered patients.
According to GDM, Akpanke’s constituency footprint extends beyond physical projects.
The group cited his legislative interventions on issues affecting the OBO Federal Constituency, including the rehabilitation of the Obudu Dam Resort, Cross River’s international boundary concerns and the proposed establishment of a Federal University of Technology in Obanliku.
It also noted his efforts to facilitate employment opportunities, scholarships, bursaries, JAMB forms, skills training and other forms of human-capital support.
Ekanem said the group’s assessment was based on the projects and interventions it had documented, adding that the ward-by-ward distribution of projects was particularly significant because it brings federal representation closer to communities that often feel disconnected from government.
“The striking point is the spread. From Bekwarra to Obudu and Obanliku, communities are seeing projects and interventions. The question of where the representative is has become easier to answer because the projects are visible in the wards.”
The group said it would continue to monitor constituency projects and engage communities to document the progress and impact of federal interventions.
For GDM, the emerging picture is clear: Akpanke’s constituency projects are not concentrated in one political centre. They are being spread across the wards, from community to community.
“30 Wards. Three LGAs. One Federal Constituency. A project footprint that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.”, GDM concluded.
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