Duke Ready to Step Aside for Stronger Candidate in 2027 Elections

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, Donald Duke, and the party's leadership are willing to support a strong opposition candidate for the 2027 election if the opposition coalition agrees on a consensus to challenge President Bola Tinubu.

Duke said he would accept a decision by opposition parties to choose another presidential candidate. This includes former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar or Peter Obi from the Nigeria Democratic Congress, as long as they reach an agreement together.

The former governor of Cross River State spoke on Tuesday in Abuja during the announcement of his vice-presidential candidate, Malam Sule Mohammed, and the PRP manifesto.

When asked if he would step down for a stronger candidate, Duke emphasized that a coalition should be more than just sharing political positions and picking a presidential candidate. He stressed that opposition parties must first agree on a shared vision for Nigeria before selecting a leader.

He said, "A coalition is not just about picking a presidential candidate. That’s the mistake we’re all making. It’s about us coming together to agree on where we would like to take our nation to. You’ve called names of two eminent politicians, but that may not be enough. So, I don’t want to presuppose anything. But at the end of the day, I’ll be sportsmanlike about it.

"If the group, and so far there are quite a number of us, comes up with an agreement that this is the best person to lead the coalition, you can’t say you’re a Democrat and not be subject to the rules of democracy. Of course, if it’s me, I hope they would do the same.

"And if it’s any other person, I would do the same. I would respect it. But you can’t call for a coalition, then disagree if you don’t follow your part. But as I said, the more important thing is not even the picking of a candidate; it’s the commonality and the direction that we want to take Nigeria to.

"We don’t want to replace the APC or the present administration with someone who would take us back again. So, if the candidates and the party agree that this is a person we should back, of course, that’s what is expected of me."

Duke also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of having a big advantage in campaign visibility. He said opposition parties are struggling to find venues and advertising spaces ahead of the 2027 elections.

He added that this situation is making it hard for opposition candidates to connect with voters across the country. He said, "You can see what is happening to other opposition parties who have been on the campaign train. If you go throughout the country, you hardly find their billboards and posters on the streets of the various cities across Nigeria.

"You only find one party, the APC. In some states, I’m told that you need to spend as much as N1b for you to even begin to advertise and all that. Now, if you’re running at a national level and you’re looking at 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, you would be talking about a lot of money here.

"Now, as it pertains to us in the PRP, we had to postpone this retreat several times because we were deprived of venues. Sometimes, they’ll tell you, ‘Oh, the date has been booked. Go to other venues.'

The PRP National Chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, stated that the party is looking into ways to strengthen opposition unity. But he ruled out merging with another political party. Baba-Ahmed said the PRP is ready to support one or two opposition candidates who can defeat the APC in 2027. He stressed that joining the coalition does not mean losing the party's identity.

He said, "Well, as it pertains to us in the PRP, if you ask us about the current state of our campaign, we will tell you. But we can’t collapse the structure for anybody because that time is over.

"The best we can do is to improve our unity by supporting one or two candidates to defeat this APC that has not been defeated in 2027. But discussion around collapsing the PRP to join another party now is not against the law.

"But we are looking at all these options. We know what we can do and what we cannot. What is good about what we are doing now is that it is showing us the best way to approach things."

Baba-Ahmed also said the party is not in the 2027 race just to participate. He is confident that the opposition can find a winning candidate through talks and a shared strategy. He said, "There are many options we have (in the coalition). Any one of those three or four can wrest this country back from the APC.

"We will discuss our inspiring roles in the Coalition for Democracy, the emerging consensus among opposition parties in which our party plays a leading role.

"We will discuss how we will win elections without stolen fortunes. We will adopt strategies that give voices to women and the young Nigerian; courage to beleaguered communities under constant attack from all manner of killers, kidnappers and terrorists; comfort to those who agonize over whether Nigeria has any place for them, and confidence that we can build a country where your faith or geography bestows neither an advantage nor vulnerability on you and your community.

"We have faith that Nigerians will choose wisely in 2027, and disappoint those who think we are cheap and disposable. We are ready to be part of the change we all need. Nigeria must survive 2027. We are not in the race for leadership in 2027 just to make up the numbers. We are in this contest to win."