Diri and Duke Clash Over Coastal Highway Feasibility

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has challenged former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke over the feasibility of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and opposed any move to make the East-West Road a substitute for it. Diri spoke during the 200th session of the Bayelsa State Executive Council in Yenagoa, where he accused Duke of using his presidential candidacy for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) to seek political rehabilitation. The PRP said its National Working Committee confirmed Duke as its 2027 presidential nominee on June 6, after reviewing the party’s primary appeal process. The dispute centers on whether the coastal highway can be built through Bayelsa’s swampy terrain and whether its cost is justified. Duke has said the project remains desirable but is not financially feasible at present. He said he used Bayelsa to illustrate the difficult terrain the road would cross and argued that Diri had misconstrued his remarks. Diri rejected the suggestion that swamp conditions make road construction impossible, citing roads and bridges his administration is building in similar terrain. He said he objected to Bayelsa being presented as an example of why the highway could...