A former member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Ntunkae Grace Eyo Ita has declared Senator Florence Ita-Giwa as an ingrate and vindictive person.

Ntunkae made the description in a chat with newsmen at her residence at Federal Housing Estate, Calabar, Cross River State.She was replying to recent public remarks by Ita-Giwa, who alluded that former governor of the state, Mr. Donald Duke arrived in Calabar with a briefcase to assume office as a governor and was squatting somewhere along Whitehouse Street, Calabar South whereas Governor Ben Ayade arrived with a truckload of wealth.Ntunkae wondered: “How can Florence Ita Giwa have the courage to insult Donald Duke after everything Donald has done for her, just because she found a new paymaster? Watch out and see, and will remember my statement today that once PDP returns to power, Florence will run back to PDP. How can she accuse Donald Duke of selling Bakassi to Cameroun when she herself was deeply involved in everything that happened to Bakassi from the federal level at that time.”The former state legislator in the second republic recollected that she and Ita-Giwa had made known their desires to represent the Cross River Southern Senatorial District at the senate in 1999 on the platform of the PDP but Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke backed Ita-Giwa as the preferred choice.Ntunkae lamented: “After all my stress, Sen Florence Giwa was preferred, and I was dropped. Since I know that God is the only one that gives power and God wanted Florence to be announced, I sent a congratulatory message to her, but what did she do? She took my pictures that i suffered to go to Law School, placed them on a coffin, paraded around this God owned City and bought a piece of land at Hawkins and buried it.”

She continued that she first contested for the senate on the platform of UNCP against Sen Bassey Ewa Henshaw and won as the candidate of the party and then faced Ita-Giwa at the election and defeated her.

She recalled: “Florence is very vindictive, Chief Anthony Ani, former Finance Minister, during the UNCP and APP gave each of us, N2,500,000. I have remained loyal to him, despite his role in my PDP elections. When Chief Ani went to contest the Obongship of Calabar, Florence was the first to carry placards against him. Without Donald and Liyel, Florence wouldn’t have been in the Senate, but as ungrateful as she is, she said Donald came to Calabar with a suitcase and was squatting with Gershom Bassey.

“Donald is from a big home, Liyel is from a big home and Gershom is from a big home, I and Ma Florence are from what we call humble homes, who should insult each other? It was the belief of Donald and Gershom that an Efik lady should go to the senate, and because of the bond of friendship among them, Liyel supported his friends, and today she is being addressed as a senator of the Federal Republic. How could she easily forget them? She referred to them in an uncultured manner. I, who should be angry, I am happy, maybe because I know the Bible.”

Ntunkae maintained that Ita-Giwa has the right to support any person of her choice and submitted “Ayade is my son, Prince Otu, (Cross River APC governorship candidate) is my brother; Donald and Liyel are my younger brothers, so as mother and senior sister, if they quarrel, what is expected of me and Ma Florence is to call them to other, settle issues amongst them and make peace. I’m shocked at the kind of things Mma Florence said with her mouth about Donald.”

She confessed that she was approached to support the Back to South agenda but she told those who approached her that she would support the idea, provided they microzoned it to the Akamkpa Biase axis because they cannot talk about justice and equity without applying the same principle to those at home, in the south.

“As you can see, the Back to South Agenda is really a back to Efik agenda, if not how come Akamkpa-Biase was not even considered for the senate position in terms of zoning, talk less of governorship position?, Ntunkae queried.

She justified her support for the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Professor Sandy Onor, who is from the Central Senatorial District: “As for Prof. Sandy Onor, he is as well from the South because his mother is from Mkame in Oban axis of Akamkpa and as you are aware, in our matrilineal tradition, a child is first from where his mother comes from.”