Murray-Bruce says Donald Duke once praised Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, shares photo

Former senator Ben Murray-Bruce has claimed that former Cross River State Governor and Peoples Redemption Party presidential candidate for the 2027 Nigeria general election, Donald Duke, previously praised the vision behind the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

He challenged Mr Duke to reconcile the alleged endorsement with his recent criticism of the project.

Mr Murray-Bruce made the claim in a Facebook post on Friday, addressing Mr Duke directly and recalling an earlier trip they allegedly made together along the coastline where the highway is being constructed.

To reinforce his account, Mr Murray-Bruce attached a photograph that appears to show both men standing on a coastal road. However, the photograph does not independently prove when or where it was taken, or what Mr Duke said about the project at the time.

“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,” Mr Murray-Bruce wrote.

He acknowledged that the highway was expensive but insisted that the cost should be weighed against its potential long-term benefits.

“Great nations are built by leaders willing to make bold, costly investments that will serve generations yet unborn,” he said.

Mr Murray-Bruce also defended President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to financing the project, insisting that there was no funding shortfall and that construction was progressing.

He described the work as international standard, aligning himself with Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, who defended the highway against Mr Duke’s criticism.

“When Governor Douye Diri commended the road, he was not speaking as a local champion; he was speaking as a statesman who recognises infrastructure of international standard when he sees it. I agree with him completely,” Mr Murray-Bruce said.

Mr Duke had questioned the project’s cost and feasibility, raising concerns about the proposed route through Bayelsa State’s swampy terrain and whether the country could afford such an expensive undertaking.

His criticism prompted Mr Diri to defend the project, after which Mr Duke described the governor as a “local champion”, arguing that his assessment failed to consider Nigeria’s financial constraints and competing development priorities sufficiently.

Mr Murray-Bruce, however, suggested that Mr Duke’s criticism was influenced by his reported ambition to contest the 2027 presidential election.

“Donald, I understand that you are running for president, and that your statement is political. That is the nature of the season, and I respect your right to make your case to Nigerians,” he wrote.

“But we must be careful never to undermine a project of national importance, or the President delivering it, simply for political advantage.”

He compared the highway to the United States’ moon-landing programme, saying expensive projects can deliver lasting benefits to future generations.

“When mankind went to the moon, it was neither cheap nor free. But it was necessary. So is this road,” he said.

Duke yet to respond

PREMIUM TIMES made several telephone calls to Mr Duke on Friday afternoon to seek his reaction to Mr Murray-Bruce’s claim that he had previously praised the project, but he did not answer.

The newspaper also sent a media enquiry through text message, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, asking whether Mr Duke had previously visited and commended any stretch of the highway and seeking his response to the allegation that his criticism was politically motivated. He had not responded as of the time of filing this report.

The exchange also comes against the backdrop of Mr Murray-Bruce’s open support for Mr Tinubu’s re-election bid.

The former Bayelsa East senator defected from the PDP to the ruling APC in October 2025 and later said he would vote for Mr Tinubu in 2027, citing confidence in the president’s reforms.

Mr Murray-Bruce, who hails from Akassa in Bayelsa State, represented Bayelsa East in the Senate from 2015 to 2019. His defence of the coastal highway aligns him with Mr Diri, the Bayelsa governor, who has also defended the project against Mr Duke’s criticism.

The exchange adds a new dimension to the debate over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, shifting attention beyond its cost and engineering feasibility to whether Mr Duke’s current position differs from his alleged earlier assessment.

Mr Murray-Bruce’s account of the earlier visit and the circumstances surrounding the photograph could not be independently verified by PREMIUM TIMES as of the time of filing this report.