In the run-in to the 2015 gubernatorial polls in Cross River state, Catholic priest and governorship aspirant, Francis Agantem Eworo, late Saturday night, informed www.calitown.com that his “…teeming supporters should be rest assured that I am coming to play a critical role in Cross River state as we work towards taking our state to where it should rightly be”.
Speaking further, Eworo expressed sadness at “…the teeming number of youths in the state constantly recruited by politicians and paid pittance to sing their praises during periods like this when elections are upon us. What these youths need are carefully thought out programmes that should empower them and make them useful instead of helping them form groups that praise sing where there is nothing to point to”.
On why he did not put up an appearance in Ogoja, where all the PDP gubernatorial aspirants made individual presentations before the Northern Senatorial caucus of the party, he responded that, “it was not deliberate, but I was constrained by a few pressing issues I had to attend to”. Scores of Eworo’s supporters made a very visible appearance in Ogoja, displaying banners and chanting his name eventhough he was absent. He also informed that “those people you saw in Ogoja chanting my name, are self financed because they understand that change is imminent in CRS”.
Reacting sharply to his being branded a cultist by faceless persons, he described that as a “baseless allegation and a smear campaign by clueless persons cowed by my work with youths across the state. If we have any energies to spare, it should be directed at the quick fixes that will create better platforms for youths in our state to excel and better their lot. I will not join issues with those persons or comment more than this, it will not be beneficial to do so”.