Opposition Must Bury Egos to Defeat APC in 2027 – Duke

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has advised opposition politicians to bury personal egos and ambitions to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.

Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, said the greatest challenge facing the opposition was not necessarily the strength of the ruling party but the inability of opposition politicians to put aside individual interests and work towards a common objective.

In an interview, he said politicians seeking to challenge the APC must be prepared to negotiate, compromise and build a coalition around a shared national vision.

According to him, opposition politicians cannot continue to pursue individual presidential ambitions while expecting to defeat an incumbent political structure with a nationwide network.

He said the opposition needed to understand that political victory in 2027 would require collaboration rather than fragmentation.

Duke argued that Nigerians were looking for a credible alternative and that opposition politicians had a responsibility to provide one.

He said the political class must move beyond the question of who would occupy the presidency and first agree on what should be done to rescue the country from its economic and security challenges.

The PRP candidate said personal ambition had repeatedly undermined attempts to build effective political coalitions in Nigeria. He warned that if opposition parties continued to approach the 2027 election as separate platforms for individual ambitions, they could end up dividing the anti-APC vote and inadvertently strengthening the ruling party.

Duke said a serious opposition alliance must be built around ideas, competence and a commitment to national development. He also called for greater emphasis on the issues affecting ordinary Nigerians, including the high cost of living, unemployment, insecurity, energy and inadequate infrastructure.

According to him, the opposition must convince Nigerians that it has not merely come together to acquire political power but has a coherent plan for governing the country. Duke said the challenge before opposition leaders was therefore bigger than securing individual nominations.

“They have to bury their egos,” he said, stressing that personal ambitions should not be allowed to stand in the way of a broader national objective. He argued that political leaders who genuinely want change must be willing to make sacrifices and accept compromises.

The former governor said the 2027 election should be a contest between competing visions for Nigeria rather than merely a contest between personalities. He urged opposition politicians to begin early negotiations towards a credible alliance capable of presenting Nigerians with a united and convincing alternative.