Presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, says he joined the 2027 presidential race to tackle Nigeria’s mounting challenges, address the country’s leadership deficit and give Nigerians “a new lease of life.”
Duke spoke to journalists in Abuja, where he expressed concern that Nigeria had struggled to overcome its leadership challenges since the return to democratic rule in 1979.
The former Cross River State governor said successive administrations had come into office with political visions but failed to provide the leadership vision needed to achieve meaningful political and economic transformation.
“There has been frustration in the political system since the return to democracy. In reality, we could have done better than what we have if we had the right leadership,” Duke said.
He added that Nigeria had witnessed successive governments since 1979 but had yet to experience one with what he described as a clear leadership vision.
“That is why I have put up myself in order to provide the needed leadership to change the political question and provide the required development and growth,” he said.
Duke urged politicians to focus on presenting their plans to Nigerians rather than engaging in personal attacks.
“We in the political system do not need mudslinging but to tell Nigerians what we can do for the country,” he said.
The PRP candidate also said opposition parties could defeat the incumbent administration if they united and agreed on the candidate best positioned to lead a common front.
He warned that without such a united opposition, the President Bola Tinubu-led administration could win the January 2027 election.
Duke argued that the All Progressives Congress (APC) could still lose despite having governors controlling more than 30 states if opposition parties worked together towards a common objective.
On economic policies, Duke supported the idea of continuing petroleum subsidies, arguing that it was wrong for Nigeria to use its resources in a way that punishes citizens by removing fuel subsidies and selling petroleum products at international prices.
He also backed the introduction of state police, saying it should have been implemented earlier given the level of poverty-induced crime in the country.
Duke described the government’s student loan programme as a good idea but said beneficiaries would struggle to repay the loans unless the government introduced employment-generating policies.
He also argued that government expenditure was not sufficiently aligned with revenue generation and called for measures to better coordinate monetary and fiscal policies, create wealth and reduce poverty.
2027: Atiku Pledges Direct Payment of Local Government Funds
Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to ensure that funds meant for local government councils are paid directly to them if elected president in 2027.
The former vice-president made the pledge in a statement signed and posted on X by his spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo.
Atiku said his administration would uphold the rule of law and guarantee constitutional independence for all tiers of government, including local governments.
He referenced the Supreme Court judgment delivered in July 2024 on the financial autonomy of local governments, accusing the Tinubu administration of failing to enforce the ruling.
According to Atiku, the alleged failure was influenced by a desire to avoid confrontation with state governors who previously controlled local government funds.
“My administration will respect court judgments, protect local government autonomy, ensure that public funds reach the people for whom they are meant, and restore true federalism,” Atiku stated.
He said direct payment of local government allocations would help bring development closer to Nigerians, reduce poverty at the grassroots and strengthen the ability of councils to tackle crime and terrorism.
“This move will ensure that development is brought to the grassroots, reduce poverty at the level of government nearest to the people, and guarantee financial independence to the local governments which will increase their capacity to fight crimes and terrorism at that level,” he said.
Atiku also alleged that the Tinubu administration’s position on local government autonomy was influenced by political considerations ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The ADC presidential candidate claimed that state governors were being allowed to retain control of local government funds as an incentive to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“This is not the Nigeria we should accept,” the former vice-president stated.
Source: Donald Duke and Atiku Abubakar’s statements
