The presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has declared his willingness to step down for another opposition contender if political parties in the emerging coalition agree on a consensus candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Duke said he would accept a collective democratic decision to back another candidate, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar or the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, provided the choice emerged from an agreed process among opposition parties.
The former Cross River State governor made the position known on Tuesday in Abuja during the unveiling of his running mate, Malam Sule Mohammed, and the PRP manifesto.
Responding to a question on whether he would relinquish his presidential ambition in favour of a stronger opposition candidate, Duke said the purpose of a coalition should not be limited to selecting a flag bearer but should begin with agreement on a common vision for the country.
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, however, raised concerns over what he described as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)’s overwhelming advantage in campaign visibility, alleging that opposition parties were struggling to secure advertising spaces and venues for political activities ahead of the elections.
He said the dominance of APC billboards and posters across cities was making it difficult for other parties to reach voters, adding that advertising costs in some states had reportedly become prohibitive.
“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.”
Also speaking, PRP National Chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said the party was considering different options for strengthening opposition unity but ruled out dissolving its structure into another political party.
He said the PRP was prepared to support one or two candidates capable of defeating the APC in 2027, stressing that participation in the coalition did not amount to abandoning the party’s identity.
Baba-Ahmed 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.”
The PRP chairman maintained that the party was not joining the 2027 contest merely to participate, expressing confidence that opposition negotiations and a common strategy could produce a winning candidate.
He said the party would discuss its role in the emerging Coalition for Democracy and explore ways to mobilise Nigerians around an alternative political agenda.
“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 agonise 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.”
