By Kelvin Obambon
In a major boost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign in Cross River Central, former Presidential Adviser and Grand Patron of the APC Central Alliance, Prince Ebuta Ayuk, has on behalf of the entire people of Etung, donated a fully furnished edifice in Ikom to serve as both campaign headquarters and a four-year constituency office for the party’s senatorial candidate, Hon. Oden Ewa.
The donation, offered entirely free of charge, was inaugurated on Saturday in a ceremony attended by some top party leaders, lawmakers, state executive council members, and community stakeholders in Ikom and Etung local government areas.
Speaking at the event, Prince Ayuk revealed that the gesture was aimed at redefining political engagement and ensuring seamless leadership representation even before the election.
“This is the first history that a candidate will be establishing such an edifice, such a magnificent office preparatory for his campaign, even before he eventually gets into office,” Ayuk said. “What we used to experience is that when a candidate gets into office as a senator, then he begins to look for a place to assemble his people. But Chief Oden Ewa has done things differently and properly.”
He stated that the property, offered on behalf of the people of Etung Local Government Area, comes at zero financial cost to the candidate or the party throughout the entire four-year tenure if elected.
“We are not paying one penny for it. It is my property. And because I believe in this project, I thought that I should freely, willingly, unequivocally, and on behalf of the good people of Etung, present this to him as a take-off point for his secretariat,” Ayuk added. “In legal parlance, we say pro bono. I can assure you that we didn’t make a mistake to pick him as our senatorial candidate. He will return us back to the glorious days of the Central Senatorial District.”
Formally inaugurating the building, the member representing Ikom 1 State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. Neji Abang, lauded the donor and declared Hon. Oden Ewa a divine asset to the district.
“By opening this office, this secretariat will bring us joy, hope, and restoration,” Abang said before officially cutting the tape.
The event drew prominent political figures, including former Speaker of the 9th State House of Assembly and candidate for Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. John Gaul Lebo; member representing Etung State Constituency, Hon. Kingsley Ntui; Commissioner for Tourism, Hon. Obi Ayuk; Commissioner for Aviation, Captain Eno Utum (retd); along with former local government chairmen and Senior Special Assistants to the Governor of Cross River State.
Responding to the gesture, Hon. Oden Ewa expressed gratitude to Prince Ebuta Ayuk and the people of Etung, assuring constituents that his tenure would usher in a new era of responsive and accountable representation.
“I am overwhelmed by this gesture,” Ewa stated. “Representative governance is not going to be business as usual in the Central Senatorial District.”
