No Regrets for My Style of Leadership, Says Imoke

Sunday Okobi

The former Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, has insisted that he has no regrets for his “autocratic style of leadership,” saying his political philosophy led to the successes recorded in the state.

He stated this at the weekend to counter a statement allegedly made by former Governor of the state, Mr. Donald Duke, who recently ascribed the situation that prompted to the defection of Governor Ben Ayade to the All Progressives Congress (APC), to Imoke.

In an interview with journalists at the weekend, Imoke, who was the state governor in 2007 and 2011, said: “I have no regrets; as I said, the only authority that has the benefit of hindsight is God. So you can’t say I regret or I don’t regret it, no; certainly not, I have no regrets.”

He stated that his so-called ‘autocratic leadership style’ is what led to the success of the party in the state during his era.

According to him, “I believe this to be the key to our success, which has been acknowledged beyond the party and the state, and even by Duke himself as evidenced by his return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

Following the exit of Ayade from PDP, which has changed the political calculation in the state, PDP in it response has attempted to put up major show of strength and cohesion, holding a couple of rallies headlined by its remaining big wigs in the state and invitees from outside the state.

This is even as the two former governors continue to trade blame on whose administration and leadership supervised the best development era in the state between 1999 and 2015.

These events have also witnessed the thrusting into the limelight, the Senator representing Cross River Central, Sandy Onoh, as the Senator’s posters for the 2023 governorship race have since flooded the state, with some party faithful saying he is the only candidate currently in the party that can defeat the APC in the coming general election.

This may be a major test of Senator Imoke’s touted mastery as the political leader of Cross River State politics, being that the governorship is expected to rotate to Cross River South.