Many have questioned his electability: to some, the only thing that the former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, would be bringing to the 2019 presidential election is ‘slayage’ and swag. To others, Duke has only jumped on the 2019 political train for pecuniary gains. To these two schools of thought, Duke’s chances of even snapping the ticket of any of the serious parties are as tiny as one strand of his hair.
Donald Duke has started living true to the words of people who see him as a ‘slay’ candidate rather than a serious contender. His pedestrian approach to national politics is being depicted by playing to the gallery. Penultimate week, he posted a stage-managed image showing him in grocery store shopping, claiming his wife sent him on such an errand, making people wonder if he had fired his domestic staff and turned himself to an errand boy.
Trust Nigerians, no sooner had he posted the image than a barrage of condemnations followed. Duke, whose eight-year tenure as Cross River governor plunged the state into about N80 billion debt that has continued to skyrocket and kept the state on its knees, is said to be wallowing in humongous crippling personal debts also. It is believed in some circles that the only reason he has thrown his hat into the ring is to be able to raise money from some moneybags so as to loosen the grip of asphyxiating debts tightening their noose around his neck.
Duke keeps friendships that cut across political divides and different economic strata; a feature likely to be exploited to his huge advantage if he can rev up his aspiration.
Duke laid all speculations to rest when he, during an interview with an international news agency, AFP, said that he would be standing in next year’s presidential election, but held off declaring which political party he would represent. Though he is still a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party which has zoned the presidential ticket the party to the North, words are flying high Duke would be testing his popularity in the newly-formed African Democratic Congress, (ADC), which is the political party that has been adopted by the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) of which he is a founding member.
Since he missed out in 2007 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo bypassed him for the late Umaru Yar’Adua as his successor, and Goodluck Jonathan as the former’s deputy, Duke’s political fate has continued to hang in the balance. It is on record that he has made a couple of attempts to manipulate his ways into the seat of power to no avail. Recent revelations have shown how his sabotage against Jonathan failed. (Thisday)
