I’ll support whoever emerges coalition presidential candidate – Donald Duke

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Donald Duke, has said he would support whoever emerges as the consensus candidate of the coalition of opposition parties.

Duke, who spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the PRP strategic retreat, also raised concerns over what he described as deliberate attempts by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said democratic principles required every aspirant to respect collective decisions and counseled opposition parties to look beyond choosing a presidential candidate to agreeing on a common vision for Nigeria.

While accusing the APC-led administration of using state institutions to frustrate opposition activities, the presidential candidate alleged that opposition parties were being denied access to campaign venues while political violence was allowed to thrive.

“Indeed, right now in this country, the only party able to campaign is the APC. They’ve locked out every person,” he said.

The former Cross River State governor warned that the growing hostility could trigger a national crisis, drawing parallels with the political developments that preceded the 1966 crisis and subsequently the civil war.

He also expressed hope that the 375 judges recently inaugurated to handle election-related cases would demonstrate integrity and dispense justice without fear or favour.

National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, on his part warned that Nigeria may not survive the 2027 general elections if escalating political violence and intimidation of opposition parties are not urgently checked.

Baba-Ahmed said the growing attacks on opposition politicians and restrictions on their campaigns could undermine the electoral process, prevent Nigerians from exercising their democratic rights and plunge the country into deeper political instability.

“We are not scared for the PRP, we are scared for the country,” Baba-Ahmed said when asked about fears of attacks against the party during campaigns.

He accused those behind the violence of seeking to intimidate Nigerians into abandoning political activities, warning that the situation could eventually prevent eligible voters from participating in the elections.

“The people who are engineering this violence don’t want this election to be held. Or they want to intimidate Nigerians to a point where nobody campaigns, everybody is afraid,” he said.

On the opposition coalition, Baba-Ahmed said the possibility of supporting a single presidential candidate remained open, but ruled out collapsing party structures, explaining that the law did not permit such a move at this stage.

“Anybody who knows about the current state of the campaign would tell you, you can’t collapse structure, you can’t merge, because that time is over,” he said.

He, however, disclosed that opposition parties were considering other options to strengthen their unity and defeat the APC in 2027.

Party stakeholders also reviewed the party’s performance across the country, expressing satisfaction with its progress, particularly considering the calibre and number of candidates it has fielded for various elective positions.

They also deliberated on the challenges confronting the party and possible ways of addressing them. The opposition coalition’s efforts to oust the APC in the forthcoming elections also featured prominently in the discussions.

The stakeholders further expressed concern over what they described as the ruling party’s alleged attempts to muzzle and suppress opposition parties.

The retreat was attended by several party leaders and stakeholders, including the BOT Chairman, Malam Falalu Bello; the party’s serving senator representing Bauchi North, Samaila Dahuwa Kaila; several governorship candidates and members of the National Executive Committee (NEC).