Donald Duke was the Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007 and the 2019 Nigeria Presidential candidate for Social Democratic Party, SDP.
11 Facts About Donald Duke
1.
2.
Duke was born to Henry Etim Duke who was the second indigenous and longest serving Controller General of the Nigeria Customs Service.
3.
Donald Duke attended Corona School, Lagos, and Federal Government College, Sokoto.
4.
Donald Duke received praise for his contributions to the fields of agriculture, urban development, government, environment, information and communication, investment drive, and tourism, as well as having made Calabar the cleanest city in Nigeria.
5.
Donald Duke initiated the Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race which attracted contestants and visitors from other countries.
6.
Donald Duke initiated the Tinapa Resort project as a way to boost business and tourism in the state.
7.
BBC reported in September 2006 that Governor Donald Duke was the only governor specifically mentioned as not being under investigation by the federal Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
8.
Donald Duke announced that he would run for the presidency in the 2007 election, but stepped aside in favour of the eventual winner, Umaru Yar'Adua.
9.
On 8 June 2018, Donald Duke declared interest in running for presidency in 2019.
10.
On Monday, 14 June 2021, Donald Duke was officially welcomed back to PDP by the party's leaders after two years of defection to SDP in the presidential race.
11.
Donald Duke stated some reasons why he left, saying that the party neglected and deviated from some of their core principles, and urged the party to return to these principles.