By Dr. Obed Eku
There is something profoundly disturbing when those who should embody wisdom become ambassadors of recklessness. There is something tragic when age fails to mature into statesmanship and experience fails to evolve into judgment. Sadly, this appears to be the path Chief Edem Duke has chosen.
His premature congratulatory message to Hon. Oden Ewa over a senatorial primary whose final status remained subject to the determination of the National Working Committee of the APC was not merely ill-advised; it was astonishingly imprudent.
At a moment that demanded restraint, Chief Duke chose excitement.
At a moment that demanded neutrality, he chose partisanship.
At a moment that demanded wisdom, he chose provocation.
One would expect a man who has occupied the exalted office of Minister of Culture to appreciate the value of political moderation and institutional processes. Instead, his intervention projected the unfortunate image of a politician impatient with due process and eager to crown a victor before the appointed authorities had spoken. The question must therefore be asked: What exactly was Chief Duke trying to achieve? Was he seeking to promote unity? Certainly not.
Was he attempting to calm nerves and reassure aggrieved party members? Clearly not.
Was he acting as an elder statesman standing above factional interests? The evidence suggests otherwise.
His intervention has only succeeded in generating avoidable controversy and deepening suspicion among party faithful who believe that the party's internal mechanisms should be allowed to run their course without external pressure or premature declarations.
The tragedy is that this is not how respected elders conduct themselves.
An elder statesman is supposed to be the political equivalent of a lighthouse: steady, reassuring, and visible above the storms of factional conflict. He does not jump into every political trench. He does not become a cheerleader for one side in an unresolved contest. He does not gamble with the stability of his political community for the fleeting satisfaction of scoring factional points.
That is not leadership. That is not wisdom.
That is certainly not statesmanship. Chief Duke should understand that public influence is a sacred trust. Every statement from a figure of his stature carries weight. Every intervention has consequences.
When such influence is deployed carelessly, it risks creating impressions that are neither healthy for party cohesion nor beneficial to democratic culture. Cross River Central deserves better.
It deserves elders who unite rather than divide. It deserves voices of caution rather than voices of agitation.
It deserves leaders who respect institutional authority rather than appearing eager to pre-empt it.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this episode is that it comes from a man who ought to know better. Experience should produce wisdom. Public service should produce maturity. Age should produce restraint. When these expectations are not met, disappointment becomes inevitable.
Chief Duke's years in public office should have taught him that political contests are not won by declarations, endorsements, or premature celebrations. They are resolved through established procedures and legitimate processes. Any attempt to create an atmosphere of inevitability around a disputed outcome only fuels anxiety and undermines confidence in the institutions entrusted with resolving such matters.
The APC must be vigilant against every tendency that threatens its internal harmony. It must discourage conduct that appears calculated to inflame passions, deepen divisions, or create unnecessary tensions within its ranks.
This is bigger than one individual. It is about preserving respect for process. It is about defending party unity. It is about protecting democratic culture from the arrogance of political impatience. Chief Edem Duke should therefore remember that history is often kinder to those who build consensus than to those who seek relevance through controversy. The mark of greatness is not how loudly one takes sides in a dispute, but how effectively one helps to preserve peace while institutions perform their lawful duties.
Cross River Central does not need political grandstanding. It does not need premature coronations. It does not need self-appointed validators of unresolved contests. What it needs are calm heads, responsible voices, and genuine statesmen.
Anything less is a disservice to the people and an insult to the very principles upon which democratic politics is supposed to stand.
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