Cross River PDP Elders Lambaste Duke, Ndoma-Egba & Cohorts Culled from Thisday Newspaper 18 Nov 2014 Elders and concerned stakeholders of the southern senatorial zone of the Peolpes Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State on Monday lambasted the former governor of the state, Mr. Donald Duke, and Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, for what they described as deprecatory campaign against the state governor, Senator Liyel Imoke. Addressing a press conference in Calabar yesterday, the elders and Stakeholders, drawn from the southern senatorial district of the state, said they could no longer continue to be indifferent to what they called the macabre dance and destructive campaign being orchestrated by Donald Duke and Ndoma-Egba against Imoke. The elders, who particularly took a swipe at what they described as desperate and febrile attempt by Duke and his cohorts to foist a governorship aspirant on the people of the state, warned that not again would they allow them to have their way. Professor Nya Asuquo, who spoke on behalf of the group, said: “We as senior citizens of Cross River State and bona fide members of the PDP in our respective rights cannot be indifferent to the macabre dance and campaign of calumny and destruction orchestrated by Duke, Ndom-Egba and their cohorts. “It saddens us that these people who have benefited the most from the good people of the state are now the very same people bent on dragging the state back to the stone age because they believe they must always have their way, no matter what happens to the rest of the populace.” Continuing, Nya, who was reading a statement signed by 22 elders of the party, said: “These people believe it is their birthright to give Cross Riverians the governor of their choice so as to resume the exploitation of the state from where they left off seven years ago. They believe they should import a governorship candidate from Abuja and foist him on us whether we like it or not. “For the first time in the history of the state and the PDP in the state, Imoke has put his foot down and insisted that democracy must be fully participatory and that all the citizens of the state must participate in the election of all candidates, all hell is being let loose by these disgruntled people. We the people of this state say unequivocally that we shall not allow them. No! Not again.” While warning those they described as agents of destabilisation not to forget the lesson of history, the group said: “Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. We are living witnesses of the eight years of ruin that we passed through under Duke. In his time, he decreed those who contested all elections from ward to Abuja. He appointed all public office holders singlehandedly and he alone presided over the privatisation of public property in the state, most of which he privatised to himself. We the people of Cross River State will no longer allow this state of gansterism in Cross River State again. No! Not again!” While praising Imoke and the state party chairman for putting in place a robust structure for the sustenance of democracy in the state, the elders echoed: “We the good people of Cross River State commend our governor, Imoke and state party chairman, Ntufam John Okon, for the very peaceful and transparent manner in which they conducted the ward delegate election of November 1, 2014. The money bags have been put to shame and for once, their money has not been able to help them.”
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 23:23:08 +0000
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