Hope as Ndoma-Egba seeks return to the Senate

Until May, 2015, Victor Ndoma-Egba was the Senator representing Cross River Central in the National Assembly. Though he sought to be re-elected, he could not get the ticket of his then party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) afterwards and is now seeking another stint in the red chamber, writes From Nicholas Kalu.

His time in the Senate representing the Central Senatorial District of Cross River State was a time that witnessed the attraction of projects that improved the wellbeing of the people of the district and the state in general. Victor Ndoma-Egba, from Ikom local government area, who was in the upper house of the National Assembly for three consecutive terms, from 2003, rose to the rank of the Leader of the Senate, then on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Known to be bold and articulate on the floor of the Senate and also very diligent and enterprising in the many committees he belonged to in the red chamber, Ndoma-Egba who also sponsored so many bills, had his time in the legislative house terminated in 2015, when he lost the ticket of the PDP. The many controversies that surrounded the manner in which he lost the ticket led to his eventual exit from the party.

Several times then, he had complained that the leadership of the PDP in the state had deliberately made him a pariah in his own party, and he had to find a new path as he still had a lot of politics left in him and so much he could still deliver to the people. Determined to remain a force to be reckoned with in the politics of his home state, he wasted no time in joining the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In his new party, he became the chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He seems keen to return to the Senate in 2019. Standing between him and his intention is the candidate of the PDP, Ntufam (Dr) Sandy Onor, from Etung local government area, a political heavyweight in his own right. The incumbent senator, John Owan-Enoh, also a member of the APC, intends to run for the governorship of Cross River State.

Today, the former Senate Leader is still the chairman of the NDDC and the APC senatorial candidate for the 2019 general elections. Political analysts believe Ndoma-Egba’s advantages in the forthcoming senatorial race would be his many years of experience in the Senate as well as the many projects he attracted to his constituency and the state while he was in the red chamber.

The projects, scattered across the six local government areas that make up the district, ranged from roads, water supply, to flood/erosion control works, drainage, library complexes, classroom blocks, scholarship to indigent students and even the law faculty building in the University of Calabar, among others. The local government areas that make up the district are Abi, Yakurr, Obubra, Etung, Ikom and Boki.

Ndoma-Egba, who said his form was purchased for him by supporters who put pressure on him to return to the Senate, said despite his numerous achievements when he was there before, he still has a lot of important projects and a number of bills he could not finish in his last time out. He is also thinking of introducing new things that can improve the lives of the people in the district and the state.

“I was in the senate for three terms, out of which I was in leadership position for two terms. For the eight years that I was in leadership under the senate presidency of Senator David Mark, there wasn’t any scandal. There was no rancour that became public and at some point, in the history of this country and the history of the senate, the senate had to provide the needed stability for the country.

“Remember when President Yara’dua, may God bless his soul, was ill and was absent, we were on the precipice of a major constitutional crisis, but the senate held the balance. And historically, that is the role of the senate. The senate is supposed to hold the balance for the country when the country is in crisis.  Yes, the national assembly is an independent arm of government.

“But it is an arm of one government and the three arms need to work in synergy, with some cooperation, for things to happen.  So I think that to move the nation forward, the legislature and the executive must work out a system of promoting the interest of the nation.  So, it’s a delicate balance and let me say this, the presidential system of government is designed with conflict inbuilt because without the conflict, you cannot trigger off the checks and the balances.

“The answer is constant dialogue and finding ways round issues. And what am I going back to do is to help stabilise the country as we did in the seventh senate,” Senator Ndoma-Egba said in Clabar while addressing his supporters recently.

Already several groups have started drumming support for the NDDC chairman. One of such, a political pressure group, Reclamation Mandate Group, rated the former senate leader as the best material for the job. The group in a statement signed by the Convener, Mr. Edo Owan, said his sterling performance at the national assembly while representing Cross River Central Senatorial district stands him out.

“We want him to come back and complete the good works he started. His hard work, commitment to duty, resilient nature and benevolent disposition to all who came in contact with him earned him leadership and respect. Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba made only one promise to the people of central senatorial district during his campaign in 2003 elections, which is to give his people a voice, not just for central senatorial district, but for the whole Cross River State.

“For the kind of democracy that we practice, a representative whether at the local, state, or at national level is expected to be heard, to give the people a voice, a loud positive voice in that matter. He is expected to speak for his people, marshalling their needs and goals with the sole aim to achieving their desires.

“Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba is known for his number of bills, motions he sponsored while he was in the Senate, notable among them was the Freedom of Information Bill, which today is the gateway to effective monitoring of government activities and conduct of public officers. When a lawmaker representing his people leaves the business of law making or goes beyond the law making process to attract projects, not just any projects, but projects that are dear to the heart of his people, then that representative is really perfecting the concept of efficient and effective representation,” the group said.

But his major opponent, Dr. Sandy Onor, the PDP candidate for the Cross River State Central Senatorial election, in an interview with reporters in Calabar, had said he joined the race because he has the capacity to deliver the yearnings and aspirations of the people. Onor, an Associate Professor in the University of Calabar, from Etung local government area, believes the Senate is a place for intellectuals.

“The former local government chairman and two-time commissioner said the people need proper representation, which only the best can deliver. We are in politics fundamentally because we feel our people need proper representation. I am running because a lot of people find me fit. I am running because I know and trust in my capacity to deliver. I believe that the Senate is a place for finest and the best intellectually.

“And I believe that our state and the country would be served better if with the intellectual resources that we have with all due respect. If I am given the opportunity to go to the Senate, I believe I will do pretty well and this too is because of my experience through time, the confidence my people have in me that it will be so if I get there. I believe I will bring the kind of substance and colour that is peculiar to me. I believe I can expand the frontiers of representation if I am there.

“It would not just be something new, but something profound and qualitative. Our people deserve the very best. One of the reasons Nigeria is where it is today is because we throw up the ‘not-so-good’, when the ‘very good’ are there. So I pray and hope that the people would be given the opportunity freely to choose best men for the job,” Onor had said.