By Jonathan Ugbal
A crowd reminiscent of the hay days of the Carnival Calabar before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic hailed Jarigbe Agom, the Senator representing northern Cross River State, at a thanksgiving ceremony last weekend in Ogoja.
Agom emerged tops after a lengthy battle with Dr. Stephen Odey, an ally and “anointed” candidate of the Governor, Benedict Ayade, and he did not fail to mention this to the thousands who thronged both the St. Benedict’s Cathedral and the open field at the Teacher’s Training College along Moniaya road in Ogoja on Sunday.
“Those who have followed the events will know that my emergence was truly an act of God, it is pure providence, it is not political prowess, it has nothing to do with war chest because I was up against the state treasury,” Agom said.
He continued: “It would have been completely impossible to surmount that struggle without the hand of God. I want to implore everyone to hold unto God because what He cannot do, does not exist. That I am a Senator today is proof that God is the ultimate.
“I have never visited a shrine all my life and I have been successful both politically and otherwise, follow God your turn will come today I am the first Senator to come from Ogoja in 51 years.”
Notable among the crowd which comprised colleagues, party stalwarts, friends, family, supporters, and many others was the former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke who in his address, averred that the turnout was an indication of Agom’s personality and the fact that he was an underdog.
“The crowd here today is a sign of love and the passion the people have for you. This happens when you are the underdog, when you are the one being oppressed,” said Imoke who also posited that the People’s Democratic Party miscalculated in making Mr. Ayade Governor in 2015.
Agom’s colleague in central Cross River, Sandy Onoh posited that the thanksgiving was the culmination of months of suffering while the State chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Venatius Ikem said it was difficult convincing Mr. Agom to contest for the elections initially0.
“It took quite an effort to convince Senator Jarigbe to run, but today, the rest is history,” Ikem said and likened the support base to that of the late President of the third Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Ikem who hailed Agom’s qualities, pointed out that God had used his enemies to work for the PDP.
Below are images from the event…
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