2023: Donald Duke to lead Cross River PDP campaign council

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has appointed former Cross River State Governor and darling of the people, Mr. Donald Duke as the chairman of the Cross River State PDP campaign team who will head the party’s charge toward taking back the Peregrino Government House.

The move by the now opposition party in the State is not unconnected with the effort to truncate the Back-To-South programme of Governor Ben Ayade aimed at returning political power to the Southern Senatorial District in the 2023 general elections having Senator Prince Bassey Otu on the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress.

The decision was contained in a long list of campaign Council members in a release signed by the state party chairman – Barrister Venatius Ikem who had appointed various committee and chapter chairmen at a ceremony held at the VVenetian Mall, Murtala Muhammad Highway in Calabar on Friday, November 25, 2022.

Senator (Prof.) Sandy Onor, the party’s governorship candidate is named as the Vice-Chairman of the campaign Council, while former Deputy Governor Barrister Efiok Cobham is the Director-General (D.G) of the Party’s state campaign organization.

Others are Prof. Offiong Ani (Documentation and Reporting), Barrister Mba Ukweni, SAN (Legal Affairs), Dr. Walter Ajogbor (Religious and Cultural Engagement), Chief Igbe Aruku (Protocol and Logistics), Dr. Emmanuel Ogar (Medical) and Col. Pam Ogar (Elders Affairs) and other directors of the various directorates as announced by the party which includes Mike Usibe (Contact and Mobilization), Chief Mike Ibok (Strategy and Research), Mr. John George (Finance) and Ken Egbas (Media and Publicity).

The roll call also had Chief Austin Edibe (Directorate of Field Operations) Ubana Akami (Directorate of support Groups) Omani Anguish (Directorate of Security) Bobby Ekpenyong (Directorate of Women Affairs) Florence Inyang (Directorate of youth mobilization) Emmanuel Or and (Directorate of Welfare) and Lady Emana Duke Ambrose-Amawhe (The Deputy Governorship candidate).

Political observers in the State have described the group as a formidable force to upturn the hitherto belief of the APC to grab power as the PDP has already congratulated members of the campaign Committee for meriting their inclusion in the list to wrest power from the ruling APC in the State.

By: Archibong Emmanuel
(Snr. Reporter)