By Okoi Obono-Obla
The article in Boki Blog Africa on Oden Ewa is dripping with hypocrisy, twisted and warped logic that is out of tune with political precedent and reality.
Beyond party colours and campaign slogans, the question of who represents Cross River Central in the Senate is too serious to be reduced to a checklist designed to disqualify one candidate.
The mood in the Central Senatorial District is clearly swinging in favour of the new kid on the block who is brimming with youthful virility and fresh energy. That momentum is sending a chill down the spines of some political gladiators who are uncomfortable with him out of envy, jealousy, sour grapes, or all three. They are having sleepless nights over their misguided permutations for the 2031 post-Governor Bassey Otu era, thinking Oden Ewa will outshine and eclipse them.
In that panic, we are now hearing of an amorphous so-called IBOE group – an alliance of Ikom, Boki, Obubra and Etung – leaving out Abi and Yakurr Local Government Areas under the guise of a political calculation for 2031 which, in their fertile imagination, would render their machinations potent. Such an arrangement, if true, is playing God with a senatorial district that belongs to six LGAs: Abi, Boki, Etung, Ikom, Obubra and Yakurr.
Legislative Experience Is A Non-Issue In Our History
The central argument of the Boki Blog article – that Oden Ewa lacks legislative experience – collapses when confronted with political precedent from 1979 till date.
We have from 1979 until now consistently elected senators who had no prior legislative experience before their election, and they performed stellarly.
Dr. Joseph Wayas, elected in 1979 to represent the old Ogoja Senatorial District (now Northern and Central), had no legislative experience. He was Commissioner for Transport in the defunct South Eastern State under Brigadier General U.J. Esuene from 1972-1974, and yet he went on to become Senate President of the Federal Republic from 1979 to 1983.
Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, CON, was elected in 2003 for Cross River Central with no prior legislative record. He had served as Commissioner for Works and Transport. He went on to serve three terms and became Senate Leader.
Senator Matthew Mbu Jr. (Central, 1999-2003) and Senator Sandy Onor (Central, 2019-2023) had no prior legislative experience before their election and served their terms.
Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw (Southern, 2003-2011) was elected in 2003 with the backing of Governor Donald Duke as a first-time senator with no legislative background.
Senator Gershom Bassey (Southern, 2015-2023) was Chairman of the Cross River State Water Board from 1999 to 2014 before his election to the Senate, where he sponsored 35 bills.
Senator Ben Ayade (Northern, 2011-2015) came from academia and the Strategy Committee, with no legislative experience, and served before becoming Governor.
Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Southern, 2023-present) came to the Senate with only executive experience as Commissioner for Finance under Professor Ben Ayade.
The ultimate example is Senator Pius Anyim. He was elected as a first-time senator for Ebonyi South in 1999 and, at 39, was elected President of the Senate from 2000 to 2003. He was described at the time as probably the youngest and least experienced of all Senate Presidents, yet he led the upper chamber.
If legislative experience were the sole criterion, none of these men would have been elected. The Senate is not a closed club for former House members.
On Educational Qualification
The attempt to make an issue of an SSCE is mischievous. The 1999 Constitution is clear: education up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent qualifies a person for election to the Senate. That is the law. Oden Ewa meets the constitutional threshold. The voters’ job is to assess capacity, not to invent a higher constitutional requirement.
Party Ticket Is Not Competence, But Competence Must Be Judged Fairly
I agree with Boki Blog on one point: a party ticket is not a certificate of competence. Neither is an endorsement by powerful figures.
But competence must be judged fairly and by the same standard for all. If Oden Ewa is asked what bills he will sponsor, what his understanding of oversight is, and what his plan is for roads, jobs and infrastructure, let the same questions be put to every candidate – including those with legislative experience who have left Central with poor rural roads and limited opportunities.
Oden Ewa brings executive experience as Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, intergovernmental contacts, and youth. Those are assets in a Senate where negotiation and executive liaison matter as much as knowledge of standing orders.
Conclusion
Cross River Central does not need another round of political slogans. It needs representation that produces results. The APC ticket has opened the door for Oden Ewa, but the final decision belongs to the electorate.
The attempt to disqualify him on grounds that history has repeatedly dismissed shows the hypocrisy in the Boki Blog article. The people of Abi, Boki, Etung, Ikom, Obubra and Yakurr should not allow themselves to be divided by a narrow 2031 calculation that excludes two LGAs for selfish ambition.
Let all candidates present their plans. Let the voters compare. And let Cross River Central choose who they believe will best carry their hopes to the Senate.
