Former federal lawmaker Ben Murray-Bruce has challenged Donald Duke over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, after the Peoples Redemption Party’s 2027 presidential candidate described the project as unbuildable.
Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, made the remarks during an interview. He argued that the swampy terrain in Bayelsa State would create major challenges for the proposed highway.
According to Duke, engineers would need to construct numerous bridges to cross the wetlands. He also described Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, as a swamp.
“The Lagos-Calabar Road is unbuildable. You cannot even go through Bayelsa. Bayelsa is a swamp. Even Yenagoa, the capital, is a swamp,” Duke said.
However, Murray-Bruce questioned Duke’s position in a post on his official X account on Friday.
The former senator shared a photograph that he said showed both men standing along the coastline. He recalled a previous visit to the area and said Duke had praised the vision behind the coastal road project.
Murray-Bruce said Duke’s recent comments surprised him because of their earlier discussion about the proposed highway.
“Some years ago, you and I travelled along the stretch of the coastline where this road now runs, and I clearly remember your praise for the vision behind it. That is why your recent comments surprised me,” Murray-Bruce wrote.
The exchange centres on the feasibility of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and the engineering challenges associated with building through swampy terrain.
Duke has questioned the project’s viability because of the geographical conditions in Bayelsa State. Meanwhile, Murray-Bruce has challenged him to explain the apparent difference between his current position and the former lawmaker’s recollection of their earlier conversation.
The project’s construction requirements, particularly the need for bridges across wetlands, remain central to the concerns raised in Duke’s remarks.
