By Okoi Obono-Obla
Oden Ewa is a young man who has taken the political firmament of Cross River State by storm. His meteoric rise, especially in the Central Senatorial District, has led to wagging of tongues and discomfort among some traditional and older political gladiators who, in their permutations, see him as a rising star that must be checkmated. Hence the spate of scurrilous attacks on him on social media.
We have seen this before in conservative political environments where the old guard feels uncomfortable when a new kid on the block emerges. We saw it happen in the United States when Barack Obama, a relatively junior senator, emerged to challenge and redefine the traditional hierarchy of the Democratic Party.
Oden Ewa, 43, is the son of Professor Ibiang Oden Ewa, the distinguished university don, renowned historian and authority on military politics from Ugep in Yakurr Local Government Area, who passed away on May 11, 2025.
He served meritoriously as Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs under Governor Senator Bassey Edet Otu, where he was regarded as a key figure in the administration and a major grassroots mobiliser. His competence earned him a second strategic appointment in December 2024 as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the newly established Cross River State Green Economy Commission, where he has been at the forefront of championing Cross River’s climate action and calling for a national Carbon Market Policy Framework.
He has impacted the people of the Central Senatorial District through numerous social investments in the best tradition of social entrepreneurship. Through his Oden Ewa Foundation, he has awarded scholarships to more than 200 indigent students at the Federal Polytechnic, Ugep. Last weekend, he commissioned borehole water projects in Agoi, Yakurr Local Government Area, and in other local government areas across the Central Senatorial District.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, his political resilience was tested. Initially disqualified by the APC National Screening Committee on May 18, 2026, he was later cleared and went on to win a landslide victory in the party primary at Ikom, polling 32,426 votes to defeat his closest rivals, to emerge as the APC candidate for Cross River Central Senatorial District.
What distinguishes Oden Ewa from many other politicians is his style. Unlike those who deploy underground, subterranean and behind-the-scenes subterfuges and hire hack writers to attack opponents and smear their character, he plays clean politics. He will rarely say anything, both in public and in the inner recesses of his privacy, against his opponents and detractors alike.
He is savvy, debonair and respectful to everyone. But beneath his quiet and measured mannerisms lies a steely character who knows his onions and works seamlessly and quietly to achieve results.
He is, indeed, the quiet storm of Cross River Central.
