Across Cross River Central Senatorial District, the people are not blind. They see the untarred roads, the collapsing schools, and the communities still yearning for the dividends of democracy. While Senator Eteng Williams should be preoccupied with addressing these challenges, he has instead chosen to waste his energy sponsoring faceless attacks and petty media campaigns against Hon. Oden Ewa; the same Oden Ewa whose rising popularity and people-oriented politics have become a threat to his fragile comfort zone.
The recently circulated propaganda piece titled “Oden Ewa: The Many Faces of Debt and Deceit” is another poorly conceived attempt by the Senator’s media hirelings to divert attention from the real issue : what exactly has Senator Eteng Williams achieved since he took office? Central is not bleeding because of Oden Ewa; Central is crying because its supposed voice in the Senate has gone silent on the issues that truly matter.
They say Oden Ewa failed to pay a gospel artist after an inaugural event ; what a laughable allegation! If the worst the Senator’s team could find against Ewa is a supposed delay in settling an entertainment bill, then it is clear they have run out of ideas. The so-called amount in question is breakfast change compared to the billions that have passed through the Senator’s office without any traceable impact. The people of Central need infrastructure, empowerment, and opportunities not gossip about event payments. How has that become an issue for Eteng Williams who rather invest in down below.
Even the claims about unpaid performers and local vendors are nothing but recycled lies from the pit of political desperation. Those who have worked with Oden Ewa know that he delivers, and where there are minor delays, they are promptly resolved. Senator Eteng Williams should instead explain why Cross River Central remains the least developed district in the state despite his long stay in political office. If Oden Ewa’s name resonates with the people, it is because he has consistently touched lives, not because he trades in propaganda or deceit.
The reference to the ₦208 million Diamond Bank case is another tired fabrication meant to deceive the uninformed. That matter was long clarified in the public space, yet the Senator’s handlers continue to recycle it as though the people have no access to facts. If Senator Williams truly believes in transparency, he should publish his own asset declaration forms from 2019 to date and show the world how constituency funds have been used. Let him open his books before pointing fingers at others. Let him also show to the public his constituency budget for 2023 and 2024. I challenge him.
The so-called ₦100 million debt to a contractor is yet another baseless claim. If there is genuine evidence, it should be presented before a competent court of law, not through social media gossip. What we see instead is a deliberate campaign of calumny aimed at tarnishing the image of a man who remains committed to development and empowerment.
What is even more disturbing is how Senator Eteng Williams has reduced himself to a mere briefcase handler for the Senate President, abandoning the dignity of his office in exchange for empty photo opportunities and shallow relevance. It is public knowledge that during a Senate session, he was asked by another senator to sit down, a national embarrassment that exposed his waning influence and lack of legislative weight. Rather than focus on motions, bills, and constituency projects, the Senator has made it his pastime to flood social media with pictures of his trips to Ghana and Abuja, showcasing travel as though it were an achievement. Sadly, while he flaunts his tourist snapshots, his own village remains underdeveloped — a stark reflection of misplaced priorities.
It is also painful to note that despite his long stay in public office, Senator Eteng Williams has not become a man who can help others. Years in power should have translated into influence, goodwill, and empowerment for the people of Cross River Central. Instead, he has become a politician who cannot lift a single person, a man whose career has been marked by self-service rather than community service. Power has been reduced, in his hands, to a personal trophy, not a tool for transformation.
The truth remains simple: Senator Eteng Williams has failed to justify the trust and mandate of his people. Instead of presenting a scorecard of tangible achievements, he has chosen to travel the low road of propaganda and character assassination. Cross River Central deserves representation built on performance, not pettiness. The people are wiser now; they know who stands for them and who merely stands in front of cameras.
Let the Senator show his record of service, not social media theatrics. Let him tell us how many youths he has empowered, how many communities have felt his impact, and what legislative influence he has wielded to advance the development of the Central Senatorial District. Until he does that, his media antics will remain nothing more than a desperate cry for relevance.
Central is not bleeding because of Oden Ewa. Central is bleeding because its supposed voice in the Senate has gone silent, trading service for servility and leadership for loyalty to power.
By: Dr Usani Ofem
