Duke: Split Opposition Can’t Defeat Tinubu

•ADC: Atiku’s Absence Won’t Affect Talks

Adedayo Akinwale and Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The presidential candidate of Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, warned that fragmented opposition parties could not defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.

Duke made the statement on Monday in Abuja during a media interaction.

Opposition parties and their presidential candidates had on Monday in Abuja opened fresh negotiations on the possibility of presenting a common front against APC in the 2027 presidential election.

The summit was convened by the G-100 political pressure group and brought together representatives of six opposition parties, including Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and PRP.

Duke stressed that there was a need for a common vision that all opposition members could identify with, rather than just focusing on replacing the president.

He also emphasised the importance of articulating the vision and identifying the best leaders to articulate it.

Duke was of the opinion that if the objective was to take Tinubu out of office without any strategy or blueprint on how to set the country on a path of progress, he would not be part of the opposition arrangement.

He stated, “Well, if that were the common objective, just taking the president out of office, I won’t be part of it. The objective must be a vision that all of us can key and identify with.

“Then if all of us, the so-called opposition, key into this vision, then the next step is, how do we articulate the vision? And who is best suited to lead the team, lead the team to articulate the vision, because whether you like it or not, there will be a president come 29th of May.

“Someone will get elected, and if the only thing is to replace Bola Tinubu with X Y Z, we’re not moving anywhere. So I think for the opposition, the first thing we need to do is agree on the commonality of a vision. This is where we’re going. Who is best suited to articulate that vision?

“In my opinion, I don’t think there’s any way the opposition today, as chequered and fragmented as it is, can win an incumbent. The system of government that we run — which is a presidential system — allows for what I will call a constitutional monarchy, and it also has to have a major opposition to check it, because a monarchy is absolute, and the power of a president or a governor in the state or the nation is absolute.”

Duke stated that Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election because the opposition was divided, adding that if Abubakar Atiku’s 6.9 million votes and Peter Obi’s 6.2 million votes were combined, they would have had over 13 million votes against Tinubu’s eight million votes.

ADC: Atiku’s Absence Won’t Affect Talks

African Democratic Congress (ADC) said the absence of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at the G100 opposition summit in Abuja would not affect ongoing efforts by opposition parties to forge a common platform ahead of the 2027 general election.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, explained that the meeting was designed primarily for political parties to discuss possible areas of cooperation, rather than for presidential candidates to negotiate among themselves.

Abdullahi spoke yesterday during an interview on Arise Television’s Daybreak. He said ADC was fully represented at the meeting, despite Atiku’s absence.

He stated, “The summit—the way we understand it—is more about conversation between political parties, rather than conversation among candidates.

“It’s more about exploring cooperation opportunities among political parties. So, it’s not consequential that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was not present.”

Abdullahi explained that he attended the summit alongside four vice chairmen of ADC, stressing that the party actively participated in the discussions.

He stated, “I was there, the party was highly represented—we had like four vice chairmen there at the G100 summit. So, ADC was fully represented, and we participated in the process.”

Abdullahi said ADC was not making the emergence of a single opposition presidential candidate a condition for its participation.

He maintained that the party was confident of defeating Tinubu independently but believed cooperation with other opposition forces could make the task easier.

He stated, “We in the African Democratic Congress, we are happy to have this conversation, but everything we are doing is not dependent on whether we are able to produce a single presidential candidate.

“We are saying that on our own, as the ADC, we can defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027. But if we are able to negotiate this cooperation, then it makes the job easier.”

However, Abdullahi identified the contentious issue of fuel subsidy as one of the major ideological differences that could complicate efforts to form a broad opposition alliance.

He said ADC remained committed to restoring fuel subsidy, describing the policy as a key part of its strategy to address the rising cost of living.

He explained, “So, that’s a question that the promoters of this grand coalition will have to answer, because it will now be: does the other party—like you mentioned the candidate, His Excellency Peter Obi—if he doesn’t believe in the return of subsidy, and we believe in the return of subsidy, then what will be the basis for the merger?”

Abdullahi insisted that the position was non-negotiable for ADC, saying the party’s economists are examining the figures supporting the position.

He, however, said the issue could provide a basis for cooperation among opposition politicians who shared the same position on subsidy.

The ADC spokesman said, “You’ve heard Olawepo-Hashim saying that he believes in subsidy, giving subsidy to Nigerians; you’ve heard Sowore saying that he believes in giving subsidy to Nigerians—so, if they all agree, those of us who agree on subsidy, that can be a basis for cooperation.”