Former Cross River State governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate Donald Duke has warned that President Bola Tinubu could secure another term in 2027 if major opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, fail to unite.
Duke said continued division among opposition candidates could split their support and give Tinubu an advantage, similar to what he believes happened during the 2023 presidential election.
He made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief while discussing the prospects of opposition candidates ahead of the 2027 election.
According to Duke, the opposition would find it difficult to defeat the ruling party if leading contenders continue to pursue separate presidential ambitions instead of working towards a common platform.
“We don’t understand what we’re doing. If in the United States, which is the system we’ve largely just copied verbatim from, they have two major parties. If you fragmented the Democrats, for instance, into two or three other parties, the Republicans will remain in office forever. That’s what we’re doing,” he said.
Duke pointed to the 2023 election as an example of how opposition votes can become divided when several major candidates contest separately.
He recalled that Atiku contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi ran under the Labour Party, while Rabiu Kwankwaso contested under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
“In 2023, we fragmented, and all the major opposition came from PDP. You had Vice President Atiku from the PDP. You had Peter, Labour at the time, and you had Kwankwaso. They fragmented,” Duke said.
Duke Warns Opposition Figures
The former governor attributed the difficulty of creating a united opposition front partly to what he described as the “large egos” of the major political contenders.
He said some of the leading opposition figures appeared overly confident about their chances of winning the presidency in 2027, despite the possibility of their votes being divided.
“These guys, the big ones you’re talking about, they’re preparing for inauguration. They think they’re going to win. I have news for them. They’re not going anywhere,” Duke said.
He further suggested that none of the leading opposition candidates would emerge victorious if the opposition remained fragmented.
“If I look at a crystal ball, what I see in that crystal ball is not them. I see another horror coming up,” he said.
When asked directly whether he was predicting that Tinubu would win the 2027 presidential election if Atiku, Obi and other major opposition figures remained divided, Duke gave a clear response.
“Absolutely,” he said.
Duke’s comments are his political assessment of the 2027 contest and do not establish an election outcome. The presidential election is scheduled for 2027, with political parties and candidates continuing to position themselves ahead of the contest.
Source : Channels Television
