From Judex Okoro, Calabar
Former Cross River Governor Mr Donald Duke has decried the poor state of infrastructure, promising that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would restore the lost paradise if elected.
Speaking at different PDP consultative meetings with traditional rulers held at Ogoja, Ikom, Abi and Odukpani, Duke said the state is totally lost infrastructurally with no functional healthcare system, no accessible rural roads, no water for the rural communities and electricity to empower the rural dwellers.
He stated that an administration like the present APC embarking on phoney big projects and then leaving out the small projects that would increase productivity is counterproductive, adding that “during our time healthcare and every other sector was comprehensively turned around to better the lives of the people.
“But when the undertaker came in 2015, lies and deceit took over our governance. We were promised heaven on earth. Today, there is the cry of poverty from Obanliku to Bakassi. Cholera has taken over communities because of no drinking water. So, we cannot continue like this. We need positive change. We need the best at this crucial stage of our development and Sen. Sandy Onor, the PDP governorship candidate is the best for the job.”
“The present administration is a bad product and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates are products of Governor Ben Ayade. A fruit can not fall off far from the tree.”
Assuring the royal fathers of a better tomorrow, Duke, who is the chairman of the state’s PDP Governorship Campain Council, said: “We have the man who knows the road and would restore the lost paradise first. We have to restore our state before we talk about how to move forward. We have a lot of work to do and PDP would do it. We should entrust our destiny into their care.
“So go out and vote because if you don’t vote, you lose the right to complain. Traditional Rulers should make it taboo for anyone who is 18 years and has no voter cards or has refused to come out and vote. Such people should be ostracised. Don’t allow anybody to intimidate you.”
He also promised that PDP would look into the welfare of traditional rulers and review the stipends to reflect the inflation in our time.
Responding, the spokesman Odukpani of Traditional Ruler Council, Rear Admiral Etinyin Itam Okpo, said: “Things are getting worst and there is no legacy from Governor Ben Ayade’s administration. There are no networks of roads to link our communities. Our school buildings are dilapidated. The state is backward.
Suing for peace, Okpo called on all stakeholders to support INEC believing that votes will count in the coming elections just as he enjoined politicians to show the spirit of sportsmanship.