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Mocks Duke’s presidential ambition
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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, on Wednesday, revealed his disagreement with the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, on the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
Governor Diri also disclosed the position of the South-South governors on the project, insisting that they were unanimous in their support for the coastal road and against its realignment with the East-West Road.
The Bayelsa governor, however, was unsparing in his response to comments from a former governor of Cross River State, Mr Donald Duke, whom he described as a jester, a pretender and a politician without a base.
His Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, said he spoke during the 200th session of the state executive council in Government House, Yenagoa.
His words: “I read, like everyone else, that there would be a realignment and that the coastal road would be merged with the East-West Road, which I do not believe is the same project. That should be a South-South Road.
“I privately called the Minister of Works and said, ‘Honourable Minister, that is a no, no, no for us. These are two different projects.
“I agree with you that the East-West Road should be reconstructed. It is called the East-West Road, but its reconstruction should not take the place of the coastal road.
“While you reconstruct the East-West Road, the coastal road must continue because you have already won the hearts of all the coastal states.”
“I told him that, for me and my state, the coastal road must continue. He kept mentioning Mr President’s name, and I felt that he was the implementer and was the one who addressed the media. So, go back and tell Mr President that this is the position of the governors of the South-South, because I also speak as chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum.”
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On Donald Duke, the Bayelsa governor said he was perplexed watching a video clip of the former Cross River State governor speak on the project on a television programme.
Diri expressed shock that a son of the South-South could describe the project as not feasible because, according to him, Bayelsa was a swamp.
“When I watched the video and listened to everything he said about the coastal road, what actually made me respond was the example he gave using my state, Bayelsa. He said the coastal road was not feasible, and his reason was that even the state capital of Bayelsa is a swamp. According to him, for the coastal road to pass through Bayelsa, 100 to 200 bridges would have to be constructed.”
The Bayelsa helmsman, who described Duke, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, as a pretender, said he did nothing as governor when the Bakassi Peninsula was ceded from Nigeria to Cameroon.
“You pretend to be a presidential candidate of PRP. There is not even a councillor from PRP in Cross River. Not even in your own ward. Yet, you pretend to be a presidential candidate so that at the end of the day you can be rehabilitated.
“You can continue to be your national and international champion without a nucleus, without a base.
“I advise you to go back and settle the huge debts hanging over the heads of generations yet unborn, debts that you incurred and passed on to successive governments in your state.
“Do not use Bayelsa State as an example of a place where roads cannot be built. You were in office when Bakassi was ceded out of Nigeria. But because you were not a local champion, you did nothing about it.
“Above all, Donald Duke, you embarked on a white elephant called Tinapa. You took loans and incurred debts that you placed a huge burden on the people of Cross River State and every governor and government that succeeded you. That is because you were not a local champion.
“I believe you are more of a jester and a pretender. You pretend to be a presidential candidate, even though you have been out of government for almost two decades.”
