By Our Correspondent
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Orientation, and supervising Minister of Information, Chief Edem Duke has scoffed at claims by opposition parties in Cross River State that the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state were manipulated to favor the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The PDP made a clean sweep of all the National Assembly seats in the March 28 electionin the state.
Duke said the party’s victory was not unexpected given that the state has been a PDP state since 1999.
He therefore, advised the opposition to stop their delusion, as nobody who knows the political history of the state, is taking their claims seriously.
“People understand that the allegation is at variance with the political environment in the state. So they should not insist on discrediting what is clearly the will of the people.
“It is an aberration to have the kind of following the PDP has and be accused of election manipulation. The clean sweep recorded by the party was therefore, not unexpected. It would have been unexpected had the party not made the clean sweep,” he said.
He maintained that the state has over the years, particularly since the advent of the Senator Liyel Imoke-led administration become the benchmark for democracy in the country.
The Minister lauded the governor for ensuring a level playing ground for every politician in the state as well as engendering the harmony that exists in the state.
According to him, “Imoke has been a stickler to every democratic principle. During the last PDP primaries, he created a harmonious, transparent process.”
He therefore, urged the opposition to emulate President Goodluck Jonathan by conceding defeat and stop seeking to undermine the peace in the state.
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