Ndoma-Egba, Donald Duke Appear At PDP Presidential Rally, Duke Steals Show

By Omini Ikpi

After staying away from most PDP functions in Cross River State, Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba finally put up an appearance at the party’s Presidential Campaign Rally, held at the U.J Esuene stadium. Ndoma-Egba who has had a very publicised political disagreement with CRS governor, Liyel Imoke and the leadership of the party in the state over the conduct of the party’s primaries that saw him lose his bid to represent CR Central Senatorial District in the Senate for a record fourth term, had until now shunned most functions of the party.

Particularly, while the party has been campaigning across the state in readiness for next month’s polls, Ndoma-Egba has been visibly absent at those campaign rallies, further giving credence to the widely held view that Imoke and the Senate Leader are rocking different political boats. “The issue seems worse off when you consider that a greater percentage of those who have left the PDP in the Central Senatorial District, to seek elective positions on the platform of the Labour Party are mostly his acolytes. He has not left the party himself and I am convinced that this is not over”, as a PDP source puts it. The Senate Leader also accompanied President Jonathan to the commissioning of Calabar’s first flyover.

Meanwhile, the appearance of former CR governor, Donald Duke at the rally, drew applause from the large crowd of supporters at the stadium. While it has been widely rumoured that Duke has pitched camp with the Labour Party, his appearance at the rally forcefully debunks the rumour. Duke too received praise for drawing the attention of Jonathan to the deplorable state of federal roads in CR, the issue of the oil wells and how the state should get a financial cushion from Abuja and the need for more federal presence in CRS, to a thunderous applause. The well attended rally, was also very colourful