Duke: 'Farley and friends' left PDP for 30 pieces of silver

Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) Watson Duke said Monday's mass resignations from the party by the THA Executive Council was a cowardly act. The resignations came three months after a feud between Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and Duke over the THA's funding of the Roxborough Folk Performers' trip to New York.

Duke lambasted the THA for leaving the group "hungry" in New York, in a Facebook video. Augustine later threatened to strip Duke of his Deputy Chief Secretary position.

Duke responded by removing Augustine, Dr Faith BYisrael and Alicia Roberts-Patterson as PDP deputies.

He then resigned as Deputy Chief Secretary.

In a media release on Monday, Duke said, "This cowardly act of abandoning the PDP mandate and Tobagonians for 30 pieces of silver must be treated with scorn and contempt by us – the right-thinking people of Tobago.”

Duke thanked "Farley and friends for doing the honourable thing by resigning from the PDP and giving all of Tobago a fresh chance to vote for change..."

He said elections should be called no later than January 2023.