By Ameh Sunday Enyo-ojo
The presidential candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) could retain power in 2027 if opposition parties fail to unite behind a common candidate.
Duke spoke during an interview with Newsmen on Monday, October 19.
He argued that opposition parties’ failure to unite ahead of the 2023 general election allowed the APC to benefit from divided votes, despite what he described as stronger combined support for opposition candidates.
“The reason why the opposition was able to unseat the ruling party in 2015 was that they came together. When you look at the results of 2023, you find that the current administration, the APC government, only won about 10 percent of the vote. The opposition had over 60% of the vote,” he said.
Duke maintained that Nigeria’s presidential system makes cooperation among opposition parties essential, warning that a divided opposition could struggle to defeat an incumbent party.
“But I’m repeating over again that if we don’t all come together, the APC would win the election. Not by majority of the votes cast,” he said.
He also argued that the APC could benefit from its control of several state governments, which he claimed could help the party meet the constitutional requirement for the geographical spread of votes.
The former Cross River State governor, however, said opposition unity should go beyond the goal of removing President Bola Tinubu from office, insisting that parties must first agree on a common national agenda.
“Coming together is not essentially to remove the APC and replace them with another party that will probably do the same thing. Let’s have a common objective for Nigeria first and foremost. Where do we want to take Nigeria to?” he asked.
Duke urged opposition leaders to put aside personal ambitions and prioritise the country’s interests, saying he was prepared to support another candidate if the person emerged through a credible process and shared the opposition’s national vision.
“The first thing you have to get rid of is your ego. Submit or just lock away your ego. You’re talking about the administration of the lives of people, right? You cannot put yourself above,” he said.
“I don’t have to be president,” he added.
Duke warned that opposition parties risk repeating the outcome of the 2023 election if they fail to learn from their divisions and agree on a common direction before the next general election.
“If you do the same thing that you did in 2023 and you do it again today, you think you’re going to be different or you’re not more popular than you were in 2023, then I think you’re not thinking right,” he said.
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