By Ogar Monday
The Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Cross River State for the 2019 gubernatorial elections, Mr. Eyo Ekpo has nominated 35 year old Wofai Ewa as his running mate.
Mr. Ekpo’s decision was contained In a release signed by him and made available to CrossRiverWatch.
The former Attorney General of the state held that it is in practising what he preaches that he has made the decision, having considered how women and youths are excluded from politics.
“I have decided to practice what I preach in the choice of my running mate. At all levels of our politics, our women and young people are systematically excluded. They are mobilisers, but are hardly ever given opportunities to lead unless they are related to certain party bigwigs or selected through shady primaries. Many of the others are condemned permanently to the realm of praise singers, bag carriers and online attack dogs, barking at anyone who will criticise their benefactor.
“As a result of this desire for a fresh start, my choice of running mate is Okoi-Wofai Okoi Ewa. If elected on this ticket, Wofai will be just 35 years old and one of the youngest Deputy Governors in Nigeria’s history, if not even the youngest. However, what he brings to the table is much more than his youth,” Mr. Ekpo said.
He described Mr. Ewa as, “a most worthy son of the Yakurr nation,” adding that: “More importantly, he is a civil engineer and a certified project manager with over a decade’s experience across a number of countries and industries.”
The statement further read: “In my administration, he will play a key role in ensuring that all public infrastructure projects – most of which will be PPPs – are designed costs effectively, professionally supervised to high standards and executed with little or no cost/budget overruns.
“He will also play a leading role in conflict resolution efforts across the State – a noble endeavor in which he has been passionately interested long before now – and work to bring peace to our communities, especially those in the Central District where he hails from. He is an avid sportsman, being the Vice President of the Cross River State Taekwondo Association.”
PPPs means public private partnerships.
Furthermore, Ekpo insisted that the announcement was, “our small way of building on the progress made by the Not Too Young To Run movement, in making political office more accessible to young people.
“Nigerians aged 35 and under make up the majority of our population. Many of them are very accomplished and passionate, but they have no voice in governance, and no seat at the table of decision making. This needs to change and with your support it will surely change.”
Also, Ekpo said the SDP provides an alternative platform for a fresh start to recover and restore Cross River to its glory days, when every Cross Riverian was proud of the state.
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