Politics can cause a split between wetness and water, dryness and sand. Given the promise and prospect of power, it seems that personal convictions can be flushed down the privy, leaving nothing but ambition flaring brightly. This is the rumoured rationale for the fight between former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke, and former senator from the state, Florence Ita-Giwa.
The quarrel between Duke and Ita-Giwa is getting messier. Both of these political authorities in Cross River are going into great detail in a seeming attempt to slander themselves. However, the general public is split between the power brokers, further muddling the battlefield. Given the current condition of their fight, it is doubtful that they will be able to stir respect in the hearts of onlookers in the future.
Nobody is really sure, but the ball of contention might have been set rolling by Ita-Giwa. According to Duke, she was offended at the fact that he organised a meeting of southern aspirants at his residence and did not invite her. However, being a gentleman, he apologised to her and explained that he could not have invited her seeing as she is not a member of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and is not from Cross Rivers.
Duke’s recounting of the incident is not verified, but it is rumoured to have caused sparks to fly between him and Ita-Giwa. Thus, she reportedly took drastic steps to correct him of the notion of her not being from Cross River. In a video, she vilified him greatly, narrating his emergence in the political field, and how he is inferior compared to the immediate past governor of the state, Ben Ayade.
In response, Duke accused Ita-Giwa of being a courtesan in her political dealings, someone he stood for when she underwent breast implants, liposuction, and cosmetic surgeries. He further argued that it is only right to respect one’s elders and not denigrate them and that he respects her as his elder.
The reactions to Duke’s supposed rebuttal have been brutal. Accused of being disrespectful and still padding himself as the rational party, the majority of these reactions vilify Duke, throwing the mud at him because he should know better than to sink so low to humiliate someone he recognises as an elder and a woman.
The show of shame continues in Cross River and it is not certain when it will end. However, the power train is still huffing and puffing.
