Cross River South: Duke as a Reincarnation of Quisling



Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonsson Quisling, the Norwegian politician who actively collaborated with Hitler's Nazi regime in Germany to subjugate his own country and people, will be green with envy in his grave if he realises that an Efik son, Donald Duke, has doubled his record in treachery and betrayal.

Yes, Duke, Cross River state governor for eight years( 1999-2007) and former Commissioner of Finance in the state under Governor Clement Ebri, is Efik's  version of Quisling and he is not pretending about it.

As the 2023 Cross River gubernatorial election approaches, Duke is again on familiar turf. He has deployed all devious weapons of treachery in his arsenal to thwart power shift to the Southern Senatorial district where the Efiks domicile.

According to the Cross River state charter of equity, the state governorship seat is expected to rotate back to the South in 2023 having gone round the three senatorial districts but Donald is working against the realisation of this goal. Like Quisiling, Duke is in cohort with outsiders to sell his people for a pittance.

Like his alter-ego, the Norwegian Quisling, Donald is collaborating with Governor Nyesom Wike of River state and Senator Sandy Ono from the central senatorial district of Cross River to deny Southern Cross River nay the Efik nation the opportunity to produce the next governor of the state. 

Does Duke perhaps want to be the first and last, in fact, the only Efik nay southern governor? It seems so. Talk of a dog in the manger and Duke readily comes to mind. He perfectly fits the description. 

Having been governor for two terms, Duke is constitutionally barred from contesting the same position again but he is now actively working to ensure that no Efik son or daughter attains the same position. He wants no Efik person to equal or exceed his political record.

Is Donald claiming that in the south there is no one capable of governing the state? When the Southern Senatorial Zone is blessed with experienced, ebullient and intellectual leaders across all walks of life.

As most young Nigerians on social media would joke when confronted with a puzzling post, "no be juju be that?" Donald has a long history of treachery against the Efik nation and his fellow Efiks and I ask, no be juju be that?


With no pangs of conscience, Donald has been seen frolicking with leaders outside Cross River and campaigning for a candidate to emerge from another Senatorial Zone other than the south in 2023.

By this action Duke has sold out the Southern Senatorial district. This is even as his bossom friend and Senator representing the District in the Senate, Senator Gershom Bassey is also interested in the governorship race.

Duke pathetically has no history of loyalty to friendship, respect and love for the Efik nation and empathy for the youths.

For example, even as close as Gershom was to him, as a brother and fellow Efik, Duke as Governor turned his back on Gershom.

It was Liyel Imoke from the central who, as Governor, gave Gershom the desired recognition and lift.

As governor, Duke held in unspeakable disdain, the then Obong of Calabar, Nta Elijah Henshaw who he had wanted to jail. Duke was never tired of abusing that office.

Though he became Commissioner of Finance and governor  at a young age, Duke as Governor was aversed to a similar ascendancy for the youths.

This explained his obnoxious policy of pegging the age requirement to contest councillorship election at 40.

Duke's disdain for Efik land hisses with diabolical resonance. He is more at home outside his ancestral Efik land. For example, as Commissioner for Finance, Duke operated from Lagos and only came to Calabar once in a while.

"You should not dwell on the betrayal that you can see. The truly terrifying betrayal is that which lies hidden from your eyes", so says Aizen Sosuke.

The above quote is for the Efik nation and the people of Southern Senatorial district: Duke should be treated with utter ignominy. He does not worth your worry because he is an ant that thinks himself an elephant.

In the final analysis, Duke poses no real danger to the political aspiration of the South for he is a paperweight politicians. Here is a man who has been on a free fall politically since leaving office. Verdict: Duke cannot deliver his polling boot if election is held today