Like most politicians who desire to see their children emulate them politically, Donald Duke, former governor of Cross Rivers State isn’t lucky in that regard. His female children want nothing to do with politics and are content with following their own path. But seeing that one of his in-laws has shown that he has an eye for public service, Duke has been guiding Daniel Asuquo Ekpeyong to actualise his dreams. Suave, soft-spoken and cerebral, Ekpeyong is married to Nela, Duke’s second daughter. One cannot deny Duke’s savviness on Ekpeyong’s political success as the youthful politician successfully dismantled the political status quo and sent the old brigade into oblivion.
The one-time youngest commissioner in Nigeria trounced incumbents and veterans in the game to win the Cross River South Senatorial election. A finance professional and investment banker, 39 years-old Ekpeyong started out as a lecturer in the faculty of management sciences of the University of Calabar, in the department of banking and finance where he worked from 2009 to 2012.
In November 2015 he was appointed the commissioner of finance by Governor Benedict Ayade, a position he held until he resigned in 2022 to contest for the seat of the state governorship on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC. Upon realising that his governorship ambition was a tall order, he quickly realigned his ambition and focused on running for a seat in the senate. Ironically, while his father in-law is a strong supporter of a Peter Obi presidency, despite being a member of the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, Ekpeyong is a staunch APC member. Ekpeyong owns Iquasu limited, one of the largest indigenous logistics service providers in Nigeria.
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