The presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has warned that opposition parties are repeating the mistake that cost them the presidency in the 2023 election by failing to unite ahead of the 2027 poll.
Duke said the inability of the opposition to consolidate its forces remained a major concern, arguing that the votes secured by Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso in 2023 could have altered the outcome had they contested as a united bloc.
He spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm while explaining his decision to leave the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Peoples Redemption Party.
“In 2023, the PDP produced three presidential candidates. Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso, and we saw what happened. Put their votes together, Bola Tinubu didn’t stand a chance,” Duke said.
He said the lessons of the 2023 election appeared not to have been fully absorbed by opposition politicians.
“So, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. We are now in a situation where we’re repeating the mistakes of 2023. We haven’t learned,” he said.
He said opposition politicians needed to first agree on the direction they wanted to take the country before deciding who should lead the effort.
“I would like to be the voice of reason. Say, hey guys, look, let’s first of all agree where are we taking the country to, and if we can agree on that, who is best to articulate it?” he said.
The former Cross River State governor said he was interested in being part of a political team capable of fixing the country, even though he remained interested in becoming president.
“I don’t have to be president. Of course, I would like to be president, but I don’t have to be president but I’d like to be part of a team that gets this country right because it’s not about me. It’s about getting the country to work,” Duke said.
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