Ndoma-Egba vows to stay in politics, says no plan to retire

By Musa Baba Adamu with agency report

A former Senate Majority Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, has made it clear that retirement from politics is not an option for him.

Speaking in an interview in Calabar, the three-term senator expressed his delight in Governor Bassey Otu’s efforts to revamp Cross River State after what he described as eight years of governance experiments.

“The administration of Senator Bassey Otu is resetting governance to the traditional methods we are familiar with,” he said.

“The last eight years were an experiment with different styles, many of which lacked empirical studies. Now, Otu is bringing governance back to what we were taught in school,” he said.

Ndoma-Egba dismissed speculation about his withdrawal from politics, insisting that his role transcends holding elective or appointive office.

“You don’t need to hold an office to speak for your people,” he stated, citing examples like Chief Edwin Clark, who remained politically active for decades without holding a position.

“God didn’t take me this far for me to stay quiet- it’s too late for that,” he stated.

Reflecting on his 2019 Senate bid, he recalled a conversation where someone suggested he was too old for politics.

But Ndoma-Egba responded “My classmates who are still in service, Justices of the Supreme Court, haven’t retired. Even university professors are still teaching.”

While he remains uncertain about 2027, Ndoma-Egba emphasized that his journey in politics has never followed a strict plan.

“I will still be speaking for my people— whether from the palace or from the trenches,” he declared.